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MEMOIR    OF 

NORMAN  MACLEOD,  D.D. 

MINISTER     OF     BARONY     PARISH,     GLASGOW  ; 

ONE   OF   HER  majesty's   CHAPLAINS  ; 

DEAN   OF  THE  CHAPEL   ROYAL  ; 

DEAN   OF   THE   MOST   ANCIENT  AND   MOST   NOBLE  ORDER  OF  THE  THISTLE. 


BV  HIS  BROTHER    THE 


REV.   DONALD   MACLEOD,    B.A. 

ONE    OF    HER    MAJESTY'S    CHAPLAINS,     EDITOR    OF     "  GOOD    WORDS,"    ETC. 


TWO   VOLUMES.— IL 


NEW    YORK: 

SCRIBNER,     ARMSTRONG     &     CO 

1876. 


"Perish  'policy'  and  cunning, 
Perish  all  that  fears  the  light, 
"\Miether  losing,  whether  winning, 
'  Trust  in  God  and  do  the  right.' 

"  Some  will  hate  thee,  some  wiU  love  thee, 

Some  will  flatter,  some  will  slight ; 

Cease  from  man,  and  look  above  thee, 

'  Trust  in  God  and  do  the  right.' " 


"  So  long  as  I  have  a  good  conscience  towards  God,  and  have  His  sun  to 
shine  on  me,  and  can  hear  the  bh'ds  singing,  I  can  walk  across  the  earth  with 
a  joj'ful  and  fi-ee  heart.  Let  them  call  me  '  broad.'  I  desire  to  be  broad  as 
the  charity  of  Almighty  God,  who  maketh  His  sun  to  shine  on  the  evil  and 
the  good :  who  hatcth  no  man,  and  who  loveth  the  poorest  Hindoo  more  than 
all  their  committees  or  all  their  Churches.  But  while  I  long  for  that  breadth 
of  charity,  I  desire  to  be  narrow — narrow  as  God's  righteousness,  which  as  a 
sharp  sword  can  separate  between  eternal  right  and  eternal  wrong." — From 
his  last  Sijeech. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  11. 


CHAP.  PACK 

XIII.— 1851— 1856 1 

XIV.— 1857— 1859 57 

XV.— 1860— 61 95 

XVI.— 1862— 63 117 

XVII.— 1864— 65 1,58 

XVIII. SABBATH    CONTBOVEESY     .  .  .  .  .  .188 

XIX. SOME    CHARACTERISTICS      .  .  .  ,  .  .213 

XX. INDIA       .             ,             .            .            .             .             .             .             ,  242 

XXI.— 1868 281 

XXII. MODERATORSHIP    AND    PATRONAGE,     1869 70      .             .  297 

XXIII.— 1871— 72 335 

XXrV. HIS  DEATH 367 

XXV.  THE  FUNERAL 392 

APPENDIX  A 400 

B 402 

C 403 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 
1851—1856. 

NOEMAIS"  MACLEOD  was  inducted  minister  of 
the  Barony  parish,  GlasgOAY,  in  July,  1851 ; 
and  on  the  11th  of  August  in  the  same  year  was 
married  to  Catherine  Ann  Mackintosh,  daughter  of 
the  late  William  Mackintosh,  Esq.,  of  Geddes,  and 
sister  of  his  dearest  friend,  John  Mackintosh. 

He  first  lived  in  Woodlands  Terrace,  then  at  the 
western  extremity  of  the  city.  The  house  stood 
high,  and  commanded  a  wide  prospect  from  its  upper 
windows.  The  valley  of  the  Clyde  lay  in  front,  and 
over  the  intervening  roofs  and  chimney-stacks  his 
eye  rested  with  delight  on  the  taper  masts  of  ships 
crowded  along  the  quays.  Farther  away,  and  beyond 
the  smoke  of  the  city,  rose  the  range  of  the  Cathkin 
Hills,  and  Hurlet  Neb,  and  the  'Braes  of  Gleniffer,' 
their  slopes  flecked  by  sun  and  shadow.  From  the 
back  windows  there  was  a  glorious  view  of  the  familiar 
steeps  of  Campsie  Fell.  The  glow  of  sunrise  or  of 
sunset  on  these  steeps  was  such  a  delight  to  him  that 
often,  when  he  had  guests,  he  made  them  follow  him 
up-stairs,  to  share  his  own  enjoyment  of  the  scene. 

The  stir  and  bustle  of  the  commercial  capital   of 

VOL.    II  B 


2  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Scotland  Avcre  tlioroiiglily  congenial  to  liim.  lie 
loved  Glasgow,  and  rejoiced  in  the  practical  sense, 
the  enterprise,  and  generosity  Avhich  characterised  its 
kindly  citizens.  The  very  noise  of  its  busy  streets 
was  pleasant  to  his  ears.  His  friends  remember 
how  he  used  to  describe  himself  sitting  in  his  study, 
in  the  quiet  of  the  winter  morning,  and  knowing 
that  six  o'clock  had  struck  by  hearing,  far  down 
below  him  in  the  Yalley  of  the  Clyde,  the  thud  of  a 
great  steam-hammer,  to  which  a  thousand  hammers, 
ringing  on  a  thousand  anvils,  at  once  replied,  telling 
that  the  city  had  awakened  to  another  day  of  labour. 
It  was  his  habit  to  rise  very  early,  and,  after  giving 
the  first  hours  to  devotion,  he  wrote  or  studied  till 
breakfast  time.  The  forenoon  was  chiefly  employed 
receiving  persons  calling  on  business  of  every  con- 
ceivable description,  and  the  afternoon  was  occupied 
with  parochial  visitation,  and  other  public  duties. 
When  it  was  possible,  he  reserved  an  hour  during 
the  evening  for  the  enjoyment  of  music  or  for 
reading  aloud.  Every  Saturday  he  took  the  only 
walk  of  the  week  which  had  no  object  but  enjoyment. 
The  first  part  of  this  walk  usually  brought  him  to 
John  Macleod  Campbell's  house,  which  was  two  miles 
out  of  town,  and,  with  him  as  his  companion,  it  was 
continued  into  the  country.  But  in  wl-atever  direc- 
tion he  went  the  dav  seldom  ended  without  his  visitincj 
the  Broomielaw,  where,  for  a  while,  he  would  wander 
with  delight  among  the  ships  and  sailors,  criticising 
ludls  and  rigging,  and  looking  with  boyish  wonder 
at  the  strange  cargoes  that  were  being  discharged 
from  the  foreign  traders. 


1851 — 1856.  3 

Yew  contrasts  can  be  greater  than  that  presented  to 
the  stranger,  who,  after  gazing  at  the  hoary  magnifi- 
cence of  Glasgow  Cathedral — the  very  embodiment  of 
the  spirit  of  reverence  and  worship — looks  across  the 
street  at  the  plain  square  pile  of  the  Barony  Church. 
Yet,  any  one  who  knows  the  work  with  the  recollec- 
tion of  which  that  unpretending  edifice  is  associated, 
will  be  disposed  to  pardon  its  ugliness  in  considera- 
tion of  a  certain  sacred  interest  clinging  to  its  walls. 
"When  he  was  inducted  to  the  Barony,  Norman 
Macleod  at  once  recognised  his  position  as  minister, 
not  only  of  the  congregation  which  worshipped  there, 
but  of  the  enormous  parish  (embracing  at  that  time 
87,000  souls,  and  rapidly  increasing)  of  which  this 
was  the  Parish  Church.  There  were  of  course  many 
other  churches  in  the  parish ;  it  contained  the  usual 
proportion  of  dissenting  congregations,  in  addition  to 
some  chapels  connected  with  the  Church  of  Scotland. 
These,  nevertheless,  were  not  only  inadequate  to  the 
requirements  of  the  population,  but  were  unequally 
distributed,  so  that  many  densely- inhabited  districts 
were  left  unprovided  with  either  Church  or  School. 
There  were  also,  at  a  depth  reached  by  no  agency 
then  existing,  those  '  lapsed  classes '  which  form 
in  all  large  cities  the  mighty  problem  of  Christian 
philanthropy. 

Every  Sunday  he  preached  to  crowds  that  filled 
every  seat  and  passage ;  yet  by  far  the  greater  pro- 
portion of  those  actually  connected  with  his  church 
were  not  rich.  They  gave  him,  however,  from  the 
fii'st,  such  hearty  support  in  the  furtherance  of  all  his 
measures  for  the  good  of  the  parish  at  large,  that,  in 

B  2 


4  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

spite  of  its  comparative  poverty,  few,  if  any,   of  tlie 
congregations  in  the  Chureli  accomplished  so  mucli. 

The  IJarony  afforded  a  noble  field  for  tlie  develop- 
ment of  his  convictions  as  to  the  duties  of  the 
Christian  congregation  in  reference  to  the  manifold 
wants  of  society.  When  he  entered  on  his  new  charge 
his  mind  was  full  of  the  subject,  and  he  gave  emphatic 
utterance,  both  in  speeches  and  in  magazine  articles, 
to  the  views  he  was  about  to  carry  into  practical 
effect : — 

"  A  Christi.an  congregation  is  a  body  of  Clnnstian?  who 
are  associated  not  merely  to  receive  instruction  from  a 
minister,  or  to  unite  in  public  Avorship,  but  also  '  to  consider 
one  another,  and  to  provoke  to  love  and  good  works/  and  as 
a  society  to  do  '  good  unto  all  as  they  have  opportunity.' 

"...  It  is  a  body.  Its  members  are  parts  of  an 
organized  whole.  The  Lord's  supper  is  the  grand  symbol 
of  this  unity.  Other  ends  are  unquestionably  intended  to 
be  accomplished  by  this  ordinance,  but  it  is  certainly  de- 
signed to  express  this  idea  of  unity.   .   .  . 

"  We  are  profoundly  convinced  that, — apart  from,  or 
in  addition  to,  the  immense  power  of  the  Christian  life 
operating  in  and  through  individuals,  and  innumerable 
separate  and  isolated  channels, — the  society  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  actinsf  throu'j^h  its  distinct  orocanizations  or 
congregations,  like  an  army  acting  through  its  diftcront 
reofiments,  is  the  orand  social  svstem  which  Christ  hns 
ordained,  not  only  for  the  conversion  of  sinners  and  tlie 
edification  of  saints,  but  also  for  advancing  all  that  pertains 
to  the  well-being  of  humanity.  We  hold  that  the  Christian 
coiiGfrcG^ation,  if  constructed  and  worked  accordim?  to  the 
intention  of  its  designer,  contains  in  itself  individually,  or 
in  conjunction  with  other  congregations,  material,  moral, 
intellectual,  active,  and  social  lorccs  which,  when  wisely 
applied  to  God's  work  on  earth,  are  the  best  and  most 
efficient  means  for  doing  it. 

"...  But  is   this  possible  in  a  condition   of   society 


1851—1856.  5 

constituted  as  ours  now  is  ?  Is  the  conception  not  a  fond 
imagination,  or,  if  attempted  to  be  carried  out,  would  it  not 
lead  to  such  extravagances  and  fanatical  disorders,  as  from 
time  to  time  have  characterised  minor  sects  which,  in 
seeking  to  be  perfect  Churches,  have  sunk  down  to  be 
perfect  nuisances  ?  It  may  be  said,  only  look  at  the 
elements  you  have  to  work  upon  !  Look  at  that  farmer, 
or  this  shopkeeper.  Study  that  servant,  or  this  master. 
Enter  the  houses  of  those  parishioners,  from  the  labourer 
to  the  laird.  Is  there  the  intelligence,  the  principle,  the 
common  sense — any  one  element  which  would  combine 
those  members  into  a  body  for  any  high  or  holy  end  ? 
They  love  one  another  !  They  help  to  convert  the  world ! 
Would  it  were  so — but  it  is  impracticable  !  " 

To  these  difficulties  he  replied  by  indicating  what, 
at  all  events,  must  be  recognised  as  the  will  of  Christ, 
in  reference  to  Christian  duty  ;  and  then  showed  how 
much  latent  power  there  is  in  every  congregation  which 
only  requires  sufficient  occasion  for  its  display : — 

"  Grace  Darling,  had  she  been  kno^vn  only  as  a  sitter 
or  a  pewholder  m  a  congregation,  might  have  been  deemed 
unfit  for  any  work  requiring  courage  or  self-sacrifice.  But 
these  noble  qualities  were  all  the  while  there.  In  like 
manner  we  have  seen  among  our  workinof  classes,  a  man 
excited  by  some  religious  enthusiast  or  fanatical  Mor- 
monite,  who,  all  at  once  seemed  inspired  by  new  powers, 
braved  the  sneers  of  companions,  consented  to  be  dipped 
in  the  next  river,  turned  his  small  stock  of  knowledge 
into  immediate  use,  exhorted,  warned,  proselytised  among 
his  neighbours — giving,  in  short,  token  of  a  force  lying  hid 
in  one  who  once  seemed  unfit  for  anything  but  to  work  on 
week-days  and  to  sleep  on  Sabbath-days.  Does  not  the 
Hindu  Fakir,  who  swmgs  from  a  hook  fixed  in  the  muscles 
of  his  back,  and  every  popish  devotee  who  braves  the 
opinion  of  society  by  going  with  bare  feet  and  in  a  comical 
dress, -demonstrate  what  a  man  can  and  will  do  if  you  can 


6  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

only  touch  the  mainspring  of  his  being  ?  It  is  thus  that 
there  are  in  every  congregation  men  and  Avomen  -who  have 
in  them  great  powers  of  some  kind,  which  have  been  given 
them  by  God,  and  Avhich,  though  lying  dormant,  are  capable 
of  being  brought  out  by  fitting  causes.  Kay,  every  man  is 
enriched  with  some  talent  or  gift,  if  we  could  only  discover 
it,  Avhich,  if  educated  and  properly  directed,  is  capable  of 
enricliing  others." 

The  Church  demanded  the  discovery  of  these  gifts, 
the  personal  influence  of  living  Christians  being  the 
only  agency  sufficient  to  meet  the  evils  of  society. 

"  AVe  want  Hvinof  men  !  Not  their  books  or  their 
money  only,  but  themselves.  The  poor  and  needy  ones 
who,  in  this  great  turmoil  of  life,  have  found  no  helper 
among  their  fellows — the  wicked  and  outcast,  whose 
hand  is  agamst  every  man's,  because  they  have  found, 
by  dire  experience  of  the  world's  intense  selfishness, 
that  every  man's  hand  is  against  them — the  prodigal 
and  broken-hearted  children  of  the  human  family,  who 
have  the  bitterest  thoughts  of  God  and  man,  if  they  have 
any  thoughts  at  all  beyond  their  bus}^  contrivances  how 
to  live  and  indulge  their  craving  passions — all  these  by 
the  mesmerism  of  the  heart,  and  by  the  light  of  that  great 
witness,  conscience,  which  God  in  mercy  leaves  as  a  light 
from  heaven  in  the  most  abject  dwelling  of  earth,  can  to 
some  extent  read  the  living  epistle  of  a  renewed  soul, 
written  in  the  divine  characters  of  the  Holy  Spirit !  They 
can  see  and  feel,  as  they  never  did  anything  else  in  this 
world,  the  love  which  calmly  shines  in  that  eye,  telling  of 
inward  light,  and  peace  possessed,  and  of  a  place  of  rest 
found  and  enjoyed  by  the  weary  heart  !  Thc}^  can  under- 
stand and  appreciate  the  utter  unselfishness — to  them  a 
thing  hitherto  hardly  dreamt  of — which  prompted  this 
visit  from  a  home  of  comfort  and  refinement  to  an  un- 
known abode  of  squalor  or  disease,  and  which  expresses 
itself  in  those  kind  words  and  tender  greetings  that  accom- 
pany their  ministrations." 


I85I— 1856. 


But  even  where  there  are  the  desire  and  the  ability 
>   engage   in   such   a  work,   a 
required  to  make  them  effective. 


to   engage   in   such   a  work,   a  wise  organization  is 


".  .  .  There  is  not  found  in  general  that  wise  and  autho- 
ritative congregational  or  church  direction  and  govern- 
ment, which  could  at  least  suggest,  if  not  assign,  fitting 
work  to  each  member,  and  a  fitting  member  for  each  work. 
Hence  little  comparatively  is  accomplished.  The  most 
willing  church  member  gazes  over  a  great  city,  and  asks 
in  despair,  '  What  am  /  to  do  here  ? '  And  what  would 
the  bravest  soldiers  accomplish  in  the  day  of  battle,  if  they 
asked  the  same  question  in  vain  ?  What  would  a  thousand 
of  our  best  workmen  do  in  a  large  factory,  if  they  entered 
it  with  willing  hands,  yet  having  no  place  or  work  assigned 
to  them  ?  "  ""' 

"...  The  common  idea  at  present  is  that  the  whole 
function  of  the  Church  is  to  teach  and  preach  the  gospel ; 
while  it  is  left  to  other  organizations,  infidel  ones  they 
may  be,  to  meet  all  the  other  varied  wants  of  our  suffering- 
people.  And  what  is  this  but  virtually  to  say  to  them, 
the  Church  of  Christ  has  nothing  to  do  as  a  society  with 
your  bodies,  only  with  your  souls,  and  that,  too,  but  in  the 
way  of  teaching  ?  Let  infidels,  then,  give  you  better  houses 
or  better  clothing,  and  seek  to  gratify  your  tastes  and  im- 
prove your  social  state ; — with  all  this,  and  a  thousand 
other  things  needful  for  you  as  men,  Ave  have  nothing  to 
do.  What  is  this,  too,  but  to  give  these  men  the  impres- 
sion that  Christ  gives  them  truth  merely  on  Sabbath 
through  ministers,  but  that  He  has  nothing  to  do  with 
what  is  given  them  every  day  of  the  week  through  other 
channels?  Whereas  the  Christian  congregation  or  society 
ought  not  to  consider  as  foreign  to  itself  any  one  thing 
which  its  loving  Head  Jesus  Christ  gives  to  bless  and 
dignify  man,  and  desires  man  to  use  and  enjoy.  We  must 
not  separate  ourselves  from  any  important  interest  of  our 
brethren  of  mankind,  calling    the  one  class  of   blessings 

*  Extracted  from  articles  on  "  What  is  a  Christian  Congregation  ?  " 
in  EdinJmryh  Christian  Magazine  for  1852. 


8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

spiritual,  and  accepting  these  as  the  special  trust  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  calling  another  class  temporal,  and 
recognising  them  as  a  trust  for  society  given  to  the  unhe- 
lievers.  In  so  doing  we  give  Satan  the  advantage  over  us. 
Let  congregations  take  cognizance  of  the  whole  man  and 
his  various  earthly  relationships,  let  them  seek  to  enrich 
him  with  all  Christ  gave  him,  let  them  endeavour  to  meet 
all  his  wants  as  an  active,  social,  intellectual,  sentient,  as 
•well  as  spiritual  being,  so  that  man  shall  know  through  the 
ministrations  of  the  body,  the  Church,  how  its  hving  Head 
gives  them  all  things  richly  to  enjoy  !  Every  year  seems 
to  me  to  demand  this  more  and  more  from  the  Christian 
Church.  I  see  no  way  of  meeting  Socialism  but  this.  I 
see  no  efficient  way  of  meeting  Popery  but  this.  Organi- 
zation is  one  stronghold  of  Ilomanism,  and  self-sacrifice  for 
the  sake  of  the  Church  is  another.  Protestantism  cannot 
meet  either  by  dogma  merely,  it  must  meet  both  by  orga- 
nization and  government  with  Christian  hberty,  and  above 
all  by  life."* 

These  views  form  the  key  to  the  general  plan  of 
his  work  in  the  Barony. 

After  having  personally  visited  the  different  families 
under  his  immediate  charge,  he  commenced  to  organize 
nib  agencies,  mth  the  determination  to  make  the  con- 
gregation the  centre  from  which  he  was  to  work  the 
parish.  He  first  formed  a  large  kirk-session  of  elders 
and  deacons,t  and  at  once  gave  the  Court,  over  which 

*  Speech  delivered  at  public  meeting  for  Cliurch  Eudowment  in 
the  City  Hall,  Glasgow,  January,  1852. 

t  In  the  Presbyterian  Church  the  congregation  is  governed  by  a 
court  consisting  of  the  clergyman  and  a  certain  number  of  the  laity, 
who  are  ordained  as  '  elders.'  Norman  Macleod  was  one  of  the  first 
in  the  Church  of  Scotland  to  revive  the  office  of  deacon,  whose 
duties  chiefly  refer  to  charitable,  financial,  and  other  business  arrange- 
ments. Eldurs  and  deacons  act  together  in  all  matters  except  tboso 
purely  spiritual,  worship  and  discipline.  With  tht^'^o  the  elders  and 
minister  are  alone  legally  competent  to  deal.  The  Kirk-Sessions 
of  the  Established  Church  are  recognised  'Courts,'  with  a  legal 
jurisdiction,  and  are  amenable  only  to  the  Presbytery,  Synod,  and 
General  Assembly. 


1851  — 1856.  9 

lie  presided  officially,  direct  control  over  all  the 
ag(3ncies  he  intended  to  employ.  However  numerous 
might  be  the  various  'workers,'  male  and  female, 
who  took  an  active  part  in  missionary  labour,  all 
of  them  were  under  the  direction  and  superintend- 
ence of  the  kirk-session.  Even  the  names  of  those 
whose  children  were  to  be  baptized,  were  regularly 
submitted  to  this  body.  In  this  manner  he  not 
only  called  forth  the  talents  and  energy  of  indi- 
viduals, but  so  organized  their  work,  under  the  con- 
stitutional government  of  the  Church,  that  it  went  on 
smoothly  and  efficiently,  even  when  he  was  himseK 
obliged  to  be  absent  for  a  considerable  period.  He 
believed  that  the  Presbyterian  system,  if  duly  ad- 
ministered, was  admirably  fitted  for  maintaining  the 
union  of  individual  energy  with  efficiency  of  govern- 
ment, and  his  experience  amply  confirmed  his  con- 
victions. 

One  leading  feature  in  his  plan  of  oj)eration  was  the 
establishment  of  district  meetings  with  his  people. 
For  this  end,  the  congregation  was  divided  into 
twelve  districts,  according  to  their  place  of  residence, 
to  each  of  which  one  or  more  elders,  with  a  propor- 
tionate number  of  deacons,  were  appointed.  He 
held  a  meeting  once  a  year  in  each  of  these  districts, 
which  all  the  families  connected  with  his  congrega- 
tion, residing  within  it,  were  expected  to  attend. 
The  minister,  accompanied  by  the  elders  and  deacons 
of  the  district,  had  thus  an  opportunity  of  meeting 
old  and  young  in  an  informal  and  friendly  manner. 
Kindly  greetings  were  exchanged,  explanations  made 
as  to  congregational  Avork,  and  pastoral  advice  given 


10  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

on  practical  matters.  Tlie  communicants  in  this  way 
not  only  enjoyed  personal  intercourse  with  the  office- 
bearers of  the  church,  but  became  better  acquainted 
with  one  another,  and  felt  that  the  bonds  of  Christian 
fellowship  were  proportionately  strengthened.  This 
method  of  working  became  peculiarly  useful  when  his 
increasing  public  duties  made  it  impossible  for  him  to 
visit  separate  households  regularly. 

The  work  of  the  congregation,  ns  it  was  superin- 
tended by  the  kirk-session,  was — (1)  parochial;  and 
(2)  non-parochial. 

1.  The  parochial  objects  included  not  only  mis- 
sionary operations  dealing  directly  with  the  spiritual 
interests  of  the  people,  but  also  efforts  for  their 
educational  and  social  improvement. 

(i.)  The  educational  requirements  of  his  large 
parish  gave  him  much  labour  and  anxiety.  For, 
although  there  were  several  day-schools  supported  by 
his  Idrk-session,  and  managed  by  a  committee  of  their 
number,  who  visited  them  monthly  and  reported  on 
their  condition,  yet  there  were  districts  where  school 
accommodation  had  to  be  provided,  and  it  fell  to  him 
to  *  beg'  from  his  wealthier  fellow  citizens  the  greater 
proportion  of  the  funds  required  for  this  purpose. 
The  toil  which  this  imposed  was  great,  and  the  task 
irksome.  Nevertheless,  during  the  first  ten  years  of 
his  incumbency,  school  accommodation  was  in  this 
manner  provided  for  two  thousand  scholars.  He 
attempted  besides,  on  fixed  days  of  each  month,  to 
visit  the  day  and  evening  schools,  and  examine,  en- 
courage, and  advise  the  pupils. 

As  he  came  more  in  contact  witli  the  workinsx  classes, 


i8si — 1856.  II 

ho  saw  the  need  of  still  another  educational  agency. 
Evening  classes  were  opened  for  adults,  at  which  the 
interesting  sj)ectacle  was  presented  of  grown-uj)  men 
and  women  (many  of  them  married)  patiently  toiling 
at  different  standards,  from  the  alphabet  upwards. 
Schools  of  a  similar  nature  had  been  attempted  before, 
but  had  failed  from  insufficient  care  being  taken  in  the 
appointment  of  teachers.  He  attributed  the  success 
of  his  schools  to  the  fact  that  they  were  under  certifi- 
cated Government  teachers.  At  one  of  these  schools; 
there  were  sometimes  two  hundred  and  twenty  grown- 
up men  and  women. 

From  seven  to  twelve  Sabbath-schools,  with  some- 
times as  many  as  fourteen  hundred  scholars,  were 
organized  into  a  single  society  under  the  care  of  the 
session.  With  these  schools  the  minister  kept  him- 
self always  well  acquainted,  and  as  frequently  as 
possible  gave  expository  lectures  to  the  teachers,  on 
the  lessons.  He  also  taught  on  Sunday,  for  several 
winters,  a  class  numbering  about  one  hundred, 
consisting  of  the  childi-eu  of  members  of  his  con- 
gregation. 

(ii.)  For  the  social  improvement  of  the  parish  he 
founded  the  first  Congregational  Penny  Savings'  Bank 
in  Glasgow,  and  established  in  one  of  the  busiest 
centres  of  labour  a  Eefreshment-room,  where  working 
men  could  get  cheap  and  well-cooked  food,  and  enjoy 
a  comfortable  reading-room  at  their  meal-hours, 
instead  of  being  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  the 
public-house.  The  success  which  attended  these 
endeavours  led  to  the  establishment  of  similar  insti- 
tutions on  a  larger  scale  throughout  the  city.    In  the 


1 2  LIFE  OF  NORMA  N  MA  CLEOD. 

later  years  of  his  ministry,  he  also  organized  various 
methods  of  affording  amusement  and  social  recreation 
to  the  people  connected  with  his  missions. 

(iii.)  The  direct  missionary  and  Church  extension 
work  of  the  parish  was  continually  enlarging,  and  at 
the  same  time  changing  ground.  When  he  first  came 
to  the  parish  four  chapels  were  without  ministers  or 
congregations.  These  chapels  had  been  retained  by 
the  Free  Church  for  several  years,  and  it  now  fell  to 
him  and  to  his  session  to  assist  in  procuring  ministers 
for  them,  and  to  foster  the  congregations  that  were 
being  formed.  In  other  j)laces,  where  a  new  popula- 
tion was  rising,  churches  had  to  be  built.  In  this 
way,  as  a  sequel  to  the  work  of  reorganizing  chapels, 
six  new  churches  were  erected  in  his  parish  during 
his  ministry,  and  in  respect  to  most  of  these  he  had 
to  bear  a  large  share  of  the  burden  of  collecting 
funds.  While  this  work  of  church  extension  was 
going  forward,  his  mission  staff  for  overtaking  desti- 
tute localities  increased  in  ten  years  from  one  lay 
missionary,  employed  in  1852,  to  five  missionaries 
(lay  and  clerical),  with  three  Bible-women  and  a  col- 
porteur, all  of  whom  were  superintended  by  him  and 
his  session. 

There  were  other  parochial  agencies,  such  as  the 
Young-  Men's  Association,  Clothing  Society,  &c.,  which 
need  not  be  particularly  noticed. 

2.  His  extra-jjarochial  plans  had  reference  chiefly 
to  the  raising  of  money  for  the  missionary  work  of  the 
Chiu'ch  of  Scotland.  Here  also  organization,  and  the 
intelligent  interest  in  mission  work  at  home  and 
abroad,  created  by  his  continually  affording  informa- 


1851 — 1856.  13 

tion  to  his  people  on  that  subject,  bore  remarkable 
fruit.  For  although,  as  has  been  stated,  his  congre- 
gation was  not  rich,  yet  there  was  scarcely  another  in 
the  Church  which  contributed  as  much  for  missions  as 
the  Barony  did,  and  he  was  accustomed  to  refer  with 
gratification  to  the  fact  that  the  amount,  large  as  it 
was,  was  made  up  chiefly  of  very  small  sums. 

In  order  to  maintain  congregational  life,  and  to 
promote  a  sense  of  brotherly  unity,  the  kirk-session 
issued  at  short  intervals  Eeports  of  their  proceedings, 
and  a  social  festival  of  the  congregation  was  occa- 
sionally held,  at  which  these  reports  were  read,  and 
kindly  and  instructive  addresses  delivered. 

In  this  manner  he  carried  out  his  ideas  of  the 
Christian  congregation  as  a  society  united  for  work. 
And  it  was  only  by  such  careful  organization,  and  by 
the  development  of  the  latent  force  of  the  membership 
of  the  Church,  that  he  could  have  overtaken  the 
labour  which  was  crowded  into  the  twenty  years  of 
his  incumbency  in  the  Barony. 

The  work  here  described,  together  with  the  study 
requisite  for  the  pulpit — he  had  always  two,  fre- 
quently three  services  to  conduct  every  Sunday — 
might  well  have  taxed  the  energies  of  any  man.  Yet, 
during  the  years  comprised  in  this  chapter,  he  was 
able,  in  addition,  to  edit  The  Christian  Magazine^  and 
to  contribute  many  articles  to  its  pages ;  to  write, 
under  the  title  of  '  The  Earnest  Student,'  a  Memoir 
of  his  brother-in-law,  John  Mackintosh;  to  publish 
the  ^  Home  School'  and  'Deborah,'  and  to  take  an 
active  part  in  the  public  and  missionary  business  of  the 
Church.     It  was  no  wonder  that  tlie  pressure  of  such 


14  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

labour  tried  his  strength  to  the  utmost,  or  that  in 
spite  of  his  marvellous  iihjsique^  he  continually  suf- 
fered from  ailments  which  the  world,  seeing  only  his 
unfailing  geniality,  could  not  have  suspected.  His 
irrepressible  humour  and  self-forgetfulness  concealed 
from  the  eyes  of  strangers  the  burthen  he  was  often 
bearing,  alike  of  mental  anxiety  and  of  bodily  pain. 


From  Ms  Joubnal  : — 

"  June  3,  1852. — "  What  a  3'ear  of  mercies  and  of 
loving  providences  has  this  last  one  of  my  life  been  !  I 
have  come  to  a  new  parish — having  the  best  living  in 
Scotland  (for  which  I  feel  deeply  grateful !)  ;  a  glorious 
field  of  labour.  I  have  married,  and  have  had  a  dear  child 
born  to  me. 

"  I  have  as  yet  done  little — I  have  done  nothing,  that 
the  great  world  can  ever  hear  of,  or  if  they  did,  care  for. 
As  far  as  fame  is  concerned,  I  am  but  one  of  many 
millions  equally  eminent  on  earth,  and  equally  unlcnown. 
But  I  am  thinking  of  what  I  have  done  (Jod-ward — of 
what  He  knows — of  what  will  last  in  eternity  ;  and  when 
I  consider  what  I  might  have  done  (therefore  ought  to 
have  done,  and  therefore  am  very  guilty  in  not  having 
done),  had  I  been  daily  earnest  in  prayer ;  had  I  been 
daily  diligent  and  laborious  in  mastering  those  details  in 
the  Christian  character  which  can  alone  insure  success  in 
the  end  :  had  I  been  watchful  of  my  heart,  careful  in 
forming  habits,  conscientious  in  using  my  influence,  saving 
of  my  time  for  reading,  and  improving  my  mind,  and 
becoming  a  better  scholar  and  a  more  learned  man ; 
had  I  laboured  to  make  every  sermon  the  best  possible 
—  what  could  I  have  done  by  the  blessing  of  God  on 
all !  r>ut  I  have  been  frittering  my  time.  There  has 
been  a  want  of  concentrated  effort ;  a  thousand  little 
things  connected  Avith  everything  have  scattered  my 
strength.      I  have  been  deplorably  slothful,  and  above  all 


1851 — 1856.  15 

procrastinatinpf.  This  has  been  a  frightful  incuhus  upon 
my  life — not  doing  in  the  hour  the  work  which  should 
have  been  done.  There  is  no  habit  the  want  of  which  I 
have  felt  more  than  that  of  proposing  a  worthy  end, 
whether  of  study  or  some  plan  of  Christian  benevolence, 
and  working  wisely  and  doggedly  up  to  it  for  years.  I 
am  too  impatient  and  eager  to  grasp  the  end  which  I 
vividly  realise  in  my  mind,  but  cannot  bear  to  attain 
by  a  long,  fagging  attention  to  the  dry,  prosaic  details 
wdiich,  by  the  wise  decree  of  God,  are  the  essential  steps 
of  ascent  to  the  summit.  But  by  the  grace  of  God  I  shall 
fight  against  this  evil,  and  put  it  down  in  time  to  come." 


From  his  JomiXAL  : — 

"Sunday,  Sept.  5,  1852. — What  I  propose  for  this 
winter  is  the  following  programme  : — 

"1.  Rise  as  near  six  as  possible.  After  devotion,  give 
the  mornings  of  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  Wednesday,  to 
John's  Memoir  ;  of  Thursday,  to  the  Magazine  ;  and 
Friday,  Saturday,  wholly  to  sermons. 

"  2.  Keep  the  house  till  1  p.m.  ;  at  9  A.M.  praj^ers ; 
9 1,  breakfast  ;  10  to  11,  letters  ;  11  to  1,  when  not  inter- 
rupted, the  business  of  the  morning  continued,  or  public 
business,  as  may  be  necessary  ;  from  2  till  5,  on  IMonday, 
Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thursday,  visiting  sick,  parish  visita- 
tion, and  calls  ;  4,  Friday  and  Saturday,  to  be  given 
entirely  to  writing  sermons  ;  5,  attend  the  evening  adult 
class  ;  6,  as  much  as  possible  devote  the  time  after  dinner 
to  my  family  and  reading. 

"  May  God  in  mercy  help  me  !     I  will  begin  to-morrow. 

"  Sej^t.  6. — Rose  at  6.  This  day  I  begin  the  memoir 
of  my  beloved  John.  Oh  my  God  and  his,  guide  my  pen ! 
In  mercy  keep  me  from  writing  anything  false  in  fact  or 
sentinient.  May  strict  Truth  pervade  every  sentence  ! 
May  I  be  enabled  to  show  in  him  the  education  of  the 
grace  of  God,  so  that  other  scholars  in  thy  school  may  be 
quickened  and  encouraged  to  be  followers  of  him  as  he 
was  of  Christ !      I  feel  utterly  unworthy  to  undertake  this 


i6  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

memoir,  or  of  any  of  even  the  least  of  thy  saints.  But  thou 
Avlio  hast  given  me  this  work  in  thy  providence,  and  called 
me  to  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  wilt  enable 
me,  I  doubt  not,  to  shoAv  the  riches  of  Christ  as  displayed 
in  a  j)oor  simier,  and  so  to  write  that  thy  Church  on 
earth  will  approve,  because  it  is  such  as  is  approved  of 
by  Jesus.     Hear  me.  Lord  ! 

"  Oct.  8th,  6  A.M. — Subjects  for  prayer — 

"  A  deeper  spiritual  insight  into  the  Divine  character, — 
to  be  able  to  say,  with  increasing  intelligence,  '  Thine  eye 
sceth  me.' 

"To  be  devoted  and  be  ready  to  give  up  all  at  a 
moment's  notice  to  Jesus  ;  yea,  in  heart  to  resign  all. 

"  I  aclvHowledge  that  it  is  morally  impossible  for  me 
without  an  omnipotent  Saviour  to  do  those  things  in 
any  degree.  Lord,  I  believe  in  Thee  !  I  desire  to  have 
Christ's  love  to  His  j)eople  and  the  world.  Alas !  alas  ! 
what  a  microscopic  shadow  of  it  have  I  ! 

"  Oh  my  God,  make  me  indeed  a  father  to  my  people  ! 
Help  me  to  crucify  this  selfish,  slothful,  self-indulgent, 
heart !  Help  me  constantly  to  forget  self,  and  to  seek, 
even  to  death,  to  do  Thy  will  ;  for  then  only  shall  I  find 
my  truer  self !     Oh  my  God,  pity  me  ! 

"Oct.  11th,  4!^  A.M. — Have  been  reading  a  little  of 
*  Biainerd.'  Next  to  the  Bible,  Christian  biography  is  the 
most  profitable.  In  as  far  as  it  is  true,  it  is  a  revelation  of 
the  living  God,  through  His  living  Cliurch.  The  expe- 
rience of  the  Church  is  one  of  the  few  accumulating 
privileges  of  the  latter  days.  It  is  when  I  read  sc  me  of 
the  aspirations  of  Brainerd,  that  I  feel  how  far  awa}  I  am 
from  that  pure  and  lofty  spirituality  of  mind,  which 
is  the  very  atmosphere  of  heaven.  '  Though  my  body 
was  wearied  with  preaching  and  much  private  con  ersa- 
tion,  yet  I  wanted  to  sit  up  all  night  and  do  something 
for  God.'  It  is  this  real  love  to  God, — this  for^ctfulness  of 
self,  this  disregard  to  flesh-indulgence  Avlien  compared 
with  spirit-indulgence — it  is  this  I  so  much  need.  Yet, 
blessed  be  God,  there  is  nothing  "wc  should  be  but  we 
si  Kill  be  by  His  grace.  '  But,  Lord,  how  long  ? '  AVhen  ? 
Ah !    let    me    cover    my    face    Avitli    shame    (let    me    be 


1851 — 1856.  17 

ashamed  because  I  am  not  ashamed  more ! ),  that  I 
have  not  laboured,  agonised  thirty  years  ago.  What 
might  I  have  been  now  !  An  humble,  earnest-minded 
servant,  devoted  to  Jesus,  converting  thousands  !  May  God 
Almighty  enable  me  to  redeem  the  short  time,  and  to  be 
His  wholly  and  for  ever  ! 

''Sunday  morning,  Oct.  12th,  six  o'clock. — A  lovely, 
peaceful  morning,  the  atmosphere  transparent,  the  landscape 
clear  and  pure,  v/ith  its  white  houses,  and  fields  and  trees. 

"  Grlorious  day  !  the  only  day  on  earth  the  least  like 
heaven.  It  is  the  day  of  peace  which  follows  the  day  of 
battle  and  victory.  '  And  all  this  mighty  heart  is  lying 
still,'  the  forge  silent,  the  cotton-mill  asleep,  the  steamers 
moored,  the  carts  and  waggons  gone  to  the  warehouse,  the 
shops  closed,  man  and  beast  enjoying  rest  and  all  men 
invited  to  seek  rest  in  God  !  How  solemn  the  thoudit  of 
the  millions  who  will  this  day  think  of  God,  and  j)ray  to 
God,  and  gaze  upon  eternal  things  ;  on  sea  and  land,  in 
church  and  chapel,  on  sick  bed  and  in  crowded  congrega- 
tions !  How  many  thousands  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland 
will  do  this  !  Clergy  praying  and  preaching  to  millions. 
This  never  was  the  device  of  either  man  or  devil.  If  it 
was  the  '  device  of  the  Church,'  she  is  indeed  of  God. 

"  May  the  Lord  anoint  me  this  day  with  His  Spirit  ! 

"Saturday  18th. — Some  things  I  see  I  must  correct. 
(1)  I  must  be  careful  of  pence,  as  I  find  I  am  hideously 
extravagant  with  pounds.  Lord  help  me  in  this  thing  ! 
He  who  gathered  up  fragments,  and  who  in  nature  lets 
nothing  be  lost,  but  turns  all  to  some  account,  will  help 
me.  (2)  To  have  a  fixed  time  for  devotion  at  night. 
*  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you,  for  ye  are  not 
under  law,  but  under  grace.' 

"  The  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  ivholly,  and  may 
your  whole  spirit,  and  soul,  and  body,  be  preserved 
blameless  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
'  Faithful  is  He  who  calleth  you,  who  also  will  do  this  ! ' 

"  Sunday,  Oct.  19th,  7  a.m. — (First  day  that  I  am  late.) 
The  closer  we  live  with  God,  and  the  more  our  spiritual 
life  in  Him  is  manifested  to  the  world  in  its  results 
only,  the  better  I  think  for  ourselves.      When  the  inner 

VOL.    II.  C 


1 8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

life  is  revealed  in  words,  it  is  apt  to  end  in  words,  and 
to  become  cant.  Spiritual  pride  is  thereby  nourished, 
and  this  is  great  destruction.  Oh  my  God,  enable  me  to 
thwart  and  utterly  mortify  my  cursed  vanity  and  pride, 
by  giving  me  strength  to  hide  all  my  good  in  this  sense, 
not  to  speak  to  my  nearest  of  good  deeds  done,  but  to  do 
them  cheerfully  before  Thee  only,  and  to  have  the  delight 
in  making  others  happier  and  better,  pleasing  Thee,  my 
Father,  for  I  know  Thou  art  so  loving  and  good  as  to 
be  pleased  with  Thy  children  who  by  Thy  grace  are  in 
any  degree  imbued  with  Thy  goodness! 

"  The  less  self-reflective  good  is,  and  the  more  outward 
and  unconscious  it  is,  the  better. 

"  Sat.,  6  A.M. — People  talk  of  early  morning  in  the 
country  with  bleating  sheep,  singing  larks,  and  purling 
brooks.  I  prefer  that  roar  which  greets  my  ear  when 
a  thousand  hammers,  thundering  on  boilers  of  steam 
vessels  which  are  to  bridge  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific,  usher 
in  a  new  day — the  type  of  a  new  era.  I  feel  men  are 
awake  with  me,  doing  their  work,  and  that  the  world  is 
rushing  on  to  fulfil  its  mighty  destinies,  and  that  I  must 
do  my  work,  and  fulfil  my  grand  and  glorious  end. 

"  Oh  !  to  see  the  Church  and  the  world  with  Clirist's 
eyes  and  heart  ! 

"  I  must  cultivate  the  habit  of  much  personal  com- 
munion with  God  during  the  day  ;  speaking  in  the  s})irit 
to  Him  as  well  as  (or  rather  in  order  to)  living  in  the  Spirit. 

"Nov.  lijth. — Yesterday  mornmg,  as  usual,  rose  at 
5.50.  A.M. 

"  Had  a  horrid  nightmare — indeed,  a  series  of  them. 
What  a  sense  of  the  horrible  and  awful  we  get  in  our 
dreams  !  What  a  sense  of  desperation — of  sore,  irresistible, 
mysterious,  soul-subduing  suffering  !  Immense  despair  ! 
Dreams  have  taught  me,  more  than  my  waking  moments, 
the  capacity  of  the  soul  to  imagine  and  endure  agony. 
Oh,  what  if  our  worst  dreams  of  solitude,  bereavement, 
desertion,  and  grapplings  with  resistless  and  hellish  foes 
were  realities  !     What  if  we  were  in  a  fatherless  world  ! 

"  Monday  18th. — How  my  morning  readings  in  Jonathan 
Edwards  mako  me  long  for  a  revival !     It  would  be  worth 


1851 1856.  ig 

a  hundred  dead  general  assemblies,  if  we  had  any  meeting 
of  believing  ministers  or  people — to  cry  to  God  for  a 
revival.  This,  and  this  alone,  is  what  we  want.  Death 
reigns  !  God  has  His  witnesses  everywhere  no  doubt — but 
as  a  whole  we  are  skin  and  bone.  When  I  picture  to 
myself  a  living  people,  with  love  in  their  looks  and  words, 
calm,  zealous,  self-sacrificing,  seeking  God's  glory,  and 
having  in  Glasgow  their  citizenship  in  Heaven  !  it  might 
make  me  labour  and  die  for  such  a  consummation. 

"  Strong  west  wind,  grey  clouds,  and  heavy,  lurid  atmo- 
sphere ;  on  the  whole  a  cold  and  cheerless  day.  They  are 
at  this  moment  laying  Wellington  beside  Nelson,  and 
finishing  an  era  in  British  history.  All  eyes  are  attracted 
at  this  moment  in  London  to  one  common  centre — that 
centre  a  person,  that  person  the  saviour  of  his  countr}'-. 
It  is  he  who  gives  unity  to  the  whole  of  that  immense 
mass  of  human  beings  who  now  crowd  the  streets  through 
which  the  body  passes  ;  and  unity  to  that  marvellous  re- 
presentation of  all  our  nationalities  in  St.  Paul's.  Signi- 
ficant symbol  of  the  future,  when  every  eye  shall  see  Him, 
and  when  a  risen  Saviour  shall  alone  occupy  the  thoughts 
of  an  assembled  universe  ! 

"  Tuesday,  Nov.  Idth.- — 5.45  a.m.  Last  night  I  went  to 
Camlachie  to  receive  communicants  in  connection  with 
that  chapel. 

"  Material  preparations  of  stipend,  beadles,  com- 
mittees, seem  at  the  time  mere  dead  things,  but  such 
details  are  inseparably  connected  with  the  great  result 
Even  as  the  boat  which  conveyed  Christ  to  the  country 
of  the  Gadarenes  was  connected  with  the  cure  of  the 
Demoniac." 

To  his  sister  Jaj^E  : — 

October,  1852. 

"  One  chief  reason  of  my  writing  to-day  is  immense 
cocJdness  at  being  able  to  report  unswerving  doggedness  in 
early  rising.  I  preached  yesterday  thrice,  one  of  t]ie 
services  six  miles  out  of  town,  and  was  up  at  quarter 
past  five — fresh,  joyous,  and  thankful !  Room  dark, 
curtains   drawn,   gas    lighted,   coffee-pot    small    and  neat 

c  2 


20  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

(mark  all  this  !),  fixed  by  cunning  mechanism  over  the 
gas,  cup  with  sugar  and  cream,  all  so  'joUy.'  Then 
begins  the  waking  up  of  the  gi-eat  city,  the  thunder- 
ing of  hammers  from  the  boilers  of  gi'cat  Pacific  and 
Atlantic  steamers — a  music  of  humanity,  of  the  giant 
march  of  civilisation  ;  far  grander  to  hear  at  mom  than 
even  the  singing  of  larks,  which  did  very  well  in  Isaac 
"Walton's  days,  or  tlio  bleat  of  sheep,  which  can  yet  meet 
my  mother's  rustic  tendencies." 

From  his  JomJrAL  : — 

''Dec.  llih. — I  have  spent  a  weary,  weary  month. 
Seldom  have  I  done  more,  and  done  less.  Oh  !  what  a 
den  of  lions  for  the  soul  is  the  life  of  an  active  and  ever 
busy  minister !  Mj  difficulty  is  not  to  work,  but  to  do 
so  in  the  right  spmt.  I  do  not  mean  that  I  have  been 
consciously  living  under  the  influence  of  a  bad  spirit, 
such  as  vanity,  or  pride,  but  rather  that  I  have  been 
without  that  calm  and  happy  frame  of  mind  which 
springs  from  a  sense  of  God's  presence,  love,  and  blessmg. 
My  mind  has  been  wandering  without  any  ballast  or 
guiding  power,  like  a  feather  before  the  wind,  almost  every 
day  since  this  fearful  winter  campaign  has  set  in. 

"  (1)  How  insignificant  I  am  as  a  mere  workman  ;  an 
insect  in  the  coral  island  of  the  world  which  has  been 
building  for  6,000  years.  Who  was  he  who  helped  to 
build  the  palace  of  Nimrod  ?  or  the  temple  of  Baalbec  ?  or 
planned  Karnac?  Fussy,  important,  of  immense  conse- 
quence, no  doubt !  As  he  is,  so  shall  I  be — be  at 
peace ! 

"  (2)  Jesus  is  governor  !  It  is  His  work,  and  awful  is 
it  from  age  to  age,  from  clime  to  clime  !  It  shall  go  on 
without  me — be  at  peace  ! 

"  (3)  Why  does  God  give  me  work  at  all  ?  For  no  end 
whatever  irrespective  of  my  own  good.  He  would  thus 
make  me  better,  and  thereby  happier,  and  educate  me  for 
my  great  work  in  Heaven.  He  would  have  me  be  a  fellow 
worker,  having  fellowship  with  Him  not  only  in  activity,  but 
ulso  in  peace  and  joy.  But  when  I  forget  Him,  or  labour 
apart  from   Him,   or  with   se})arate  interests,  I   lose   all ! 


185I 1856.  21 

The  work  becomes  outward,  senseless,  unmeaning.  Lord, 
give  me  quiet  and  peace  !  Let  me  work  only  true 
work  in  Thy  Name,  and  by  Thy  Spirit,  and  for  Thy 
glory  ! 

"...  The  thunder  and  lightning  of  Sinai  had  a  very 
different  meaning  to  an  Arabian  shepherd,  who  might  be 
gazing  on  the  spectacle  from  some  distant  peak,  from 
what  they  had  to  Moses  and  the  children  of  Israel. 
Material  things  may  have  a  meaning  to  angels  which 
they  have  not  to  us,  and  be  sacraments  of  great 
truths.  Who  knows  but  the  starry  heavens  are  one  great 
algebra  ? 

"  I  believe  thanksgiving  a  greater  mark  of  holiness 
than  any  other  part  of  prayer.  I  mean  special  thanks- 
giving for  mercies  asked  and  received.  It  is  a  testimony 
to  prayers  being  remembered,  and  therefore  earnest  prayer. 
It  is  unselfish,  and  more  loving. 

"  What  should  we  think  if  an  angel  from  heaven 
appeared  to  us  some  morning,  and  said  :  '  This  day  Satan, 
with  all  his  power,  subtlety,  and  wiles,  may  try  to  destroy 
thee  ;  and  Jesus  bids  me  say  He  will  shut  His  eyes  and 
ears  to  thee,  and  send  thee  no  help  ?  This  day  thou  hast 
duties  to  perform  in  a  right  spirit  ;  Jesus  bids  me  say  He 
will  not  give  thee  His  Spirit.  This  day  the  heaviest  trials 
ever  experienced  by  thee  may  be  thine  ;  Jesus  bids  me 
say  He  will  not  afford  thee  any  support.  This  day  thou 
mayest  die  ;  Jesus  bids  me  say  He  will  not  be  with  thee. 
Jesus  bids  thee  adieu  for  this  day,  and  leaves  thee  alone 
with  thy  evil  heart,  blind  mind,  powerful  enemies  ;  hell 
beneath  thee,  death  before  thee,  judgment  above  thee,  and 
eternity  before  thee  ! '     Oh,  horrible  despair  ! 

"  But  why  art  thou  not  afraid  of  this  when  a  day  is 
begun  without  prayer  ?  Art  thou  not  practically  saying 
to  all  this,  *  Amen  !  so  let  it  be  ? ' 

"  Does  God  love  a  cheerful  giver  ?  and  is  He  not  one 
himself  ? 

"  A  godly  parent  is  a  god-like  parent,  i.e.  a  parent  who 
is  God's  image  in  the  family — as  God  to  them  in  life, 
teaching,  love,  character. 


22  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  A  godly  home-education  is  one  which  trains  up  the 
child  by  the  earthly  to  the  heavenly  Father. 

"  That  a  parent  may  be  as  God  to  his  child,  he  must 
first  be  as  a  child  to  his  God.  To  teach,  he  must  be 
taught ;  and  receive,  that  he  may  give. 

"  What  the  father  on  earth  wishes  his  child  to  be 
towards  himself,  that  God  wishes  the  parent  himself  to  be 
towards  his  Father  in  heaven.  Hence  children  are  wit- 
nesses for  God  in  the  parent's  heart,  as  well  as  the  parents 
are  for  Him  in  the  hearts  of  their  children. 

"  What  a  compound  of  vanity,  greed,  and  the  selfish- 
ness which  is  hate  that  would  end  in  murder,  is  that 
villain  Haman  ! — mean,  sneaking,  stuffed  with  vanity  and 
ambition  !  a  thorough,  contemptible  scoundrel,  whose 
hanging  was  well  deserved !  His  very  terror  when 
condemned  is  so  like  the  dog — quite  like  the  cowardly 
rascal  that  would  hang  others,  and  smoke  his  pipe,  or,  half- 
drunk,  babble  over  it  with  his  Jezebel  wife." 


From  DiAEY  Book  of  1853  : — 

"  Kesolve,  as  a  solemn  duty  owing  to  my  parish,  to 
refuse,  after  this  date,  public  meetings  in  town  and 
country,  and  all  dinners  when  possible,  and  to  confine 
myself  exclusively  to  my  great  parish  till  at  least  April, 
i.e.  four  months,  and  not  to  be  moved  from  this  by 
any  arguments,  however  plausible,  but  to  submit  to 
any  amount  of  displeasure  rather  than  give  up  a  clear 
duty. 

"  Jan.  \8t. — "  God  has  been  very  merciful  to  me 
during  the  past  year.  I  never  had  so  unbroken  a  year 
of  prosperity,  in  the  usual  sense  of  that  word. 

"  I  have  preached  about  one  hundred  and  forty  times, 
seven  of  them  for  public  collections,  many  for  chapels.  I 
have  addressed  about  thirteen  meetings  for  missions  and 
other  useful  objects.  Held  seven  mission  meetings  in  my 
own  church.  Published  a  sermon  and  edited  magazine. 
Organised  (1)  Schemes,  (2)  Industrial  aid,  (3)  Female  aid, 
(4)  Endowment    (5)  Education  committees  in  congregation. 


1851 — 1856.  23 

Opened  refreshment-rooms  for  working  classes.  Opened 
three  chapels  with  three  missionaries.  Suggested  and  helped 
to  carry  out  a  proposal  for  tAVO  new  churches,  for  which 
£10,000  is  now  collected.  About  to  build  three  new 
schools.  Have  commenced  work  in  Barnhill  Poor  House. 
Visited  in  twenty-two  days  about  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
two  families.  Have  organized  a  congregational  class  of 
one  hundred  and  ten  from  eight  to  fourteen  years  of  age. 
Wrote  report  on  Pauper  Education.*  I  need  to  reform 
the  schemes.  Have  had  two  large  classes  of  young  men 
and  women  for  three  months. 

"  The  past  year  has  been  marked  to  me  specially  by 
the  gift  of  my  child  ;  and  what  a  gift  !  believing  as  I 
do  that,  in  answer  to  prayer,  the  Lord  will  in  His  own 
way  keep  her  with  us  in  the  bundle  of  life  eternal. 

"  April  7th. — Fast-day.  The  kind  of  frittered  life  I 
am  compelled  (I  may  say)  to  lead,  dipping  like  a  sea-gull 
for  my  food  ever  and  anon,  as  it  is  turned  up  by  some 
wave  on  the  surface,  never  diving  deep,  never  soaring 
high,  never  at  rest,  injures  terribly  my  moral  being.  My 
brain  becomes  like  a  bee-hive,  so  that  when  I  begin  to 
read  and  pray,  my  thoughts  slide  off  to  chapels  or  texts, 
or  some  scheme  or  sermon,  while  I  utterly  despise  myself. 
I  desire  this  day  to  be  a  day  of  self-examination,  of  thank- 
fulness and  quickening. 

"  It  requires  omnipotence  to  make  me  what  I  wish  to 
be — simple,  unselfish,  and  zealous,  with  nothing  to  keep 
the  fire  always  burning,  and  the  heart  joyous,  and  the 
limbs  strong,  save  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ." 

•  Among  his  many  duties  as  minister  of  a  parish,  lie  had  to  give 
his  attention  to  the  administration  of  the  Poor-law,  and  shortly  after 
his  induction,  being  shocked  at  the  number  of  pauper  children  who 
were  kept  in  the  workhouse  at  Barnhill,  he  proposed  the  complete 
adoption  of  the  '  boarding  out '  system,  whereby  the  young  would 
be  brought  up  in  the  houses  of  decent  people  in  the  country.  This 
was  accordingly  done.  The  following  year  he  wrote  a  long  and  elabo- 
rate paper  on  the  advisability  of  forming  an  industrial  farm.  This 
paper  was  printed  by  order  of  the  Board,  but  its  suggestions  were 
never  fully  adopted. 


24  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD, 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

LOJTDON,  May,  1853. 

'•  What  a  pious  and  Christian  congregation  I  must  nave 
had  with  so  many  of  the  aristocracy  !  I  did  not  preach 
any  one  of  the  more  elaborate  sermons  I  had  with  me,  but 
one  I  had  never  written.  But  I  was  convinced  it  was 
best  suited  for  the  audience.  I  had  great  comfort  in 
preaching  it,  because  I  felt  a  sincere  dtsire  to  do  good, 
which  is  always  strength  and  peace." 


From  Lis  Journal  : — 

"Cove,  August  27th,  1853,  Sahhafh. — I  have  taken 
this  Sabbath  to  myself,  the  only  one  for  two  years,  except 
one  in  Paris.      I  need  rest,  and  I  am  enjoying  it. 

"  After  my  delightful  congregational  meeting  in  ilay,  I 
went  to  London,  preached  missionary  sermons  for  Wes- 
leyans,  spoke  at  the  meetuag  of  the  Tract  Society,  and  for 
our  own  missions,  and  then  went  with  my  brother  George 
to  Paris. 

"It  is  awful  to  feel  what  a  holy  man  Avith  the  ordinary 
measure  of  practical  talent  which  I  possess  may  do.  We 
seek  to  be  Goliatlis,  and  are  killed  by  pebbles.  Could 
Ave  begin  in  faith  and  be  as  httle  children,  we  should  slay 
GoHaths  !  0  my  God,  make  me  a  good  man !  0  my 
Father,  come  what  may,  make  me  a  simple-minded,  honest, 
humble  and  brave  Christian  !  Let  me  seek  no  favour  but 
Thine,  and  give  my  heart  to  no  labour  but  in  Thee  and  for 
Thee  !  With  God  my  Saviour  as  my  help  and  guide  I 
may,  ere  I  die,  be  a  blessing  to  Glasgow,  especially  to  the 
poor  and  miserable  in  it,  for  whom  my  heart  bleeds. 

"  A  lovely  Sabbath-day,  with  calm  seas,  purple  hills, 
murmuring  waves,  devout  repose  !  When  shall  my 
brothers  and  sisters  in  the  lanes  and  closes  find  such  a 
Sabbath  of  peace  and  beauty  in  God  ! 

"Sept.  \Sth. — Have  had  spiritually  a  good  week,  but 
physically  one  too  much  oppressed  by  labour.  I  have 
steadfastly  kept  my  hours.  My  reading  has  been  Baxter's 
'  Reformed  Pastor'  (very  touching),  and  Mill's  '  PoUtical 
Economy.' " 


1851 — i8s6.  25 

The  following  letter  was  written  to  a  liidy  whose 
son  had  been  boarded  with  him  in  Dalkeith,  and  who 
was  at  this  time  a  midshipman  in  the  navy.  The 
allusion  to  his  method  of  training  boys  refers  to  the 
principle  he  acted  on  of  franJily  telling  them  of  the 
temptations  they  would  be  exposed  to  in  life — 
'  better,'  he  used  to  say,  '  they  should  hear  all  about 
it  from  me  than  from  the  devil ; ' — and  he  was  over- 
joyed by  now  receiving  a  letter  which  showed  he  had 
acted  wisely. 

"  I  send  without  hesitation  his  letter  to  myself.  I 
cannot  express  to  you  how  gratified  and  thankful  it  has 
made  me.  In  so  teaching  him,  I  followed  my  own  con- 
victions, and  carried  out  a  theory  of  education  which  I 
had  long  held,  founded  chiefly  upon  God's  teaching  in  the 
Bible — in  the  Pentateuch  specially,  which  in  all  its  details 
of  crime,  and  awful  warnings,  was  to  be  read  each  year  to 
the  young  as  well  as  to  the  old.  The  evidence  afforded  by 
his  letter  of  the  success  in  his  case  of  such  a  mode  of 
instruction  is  most  encouraging." 


To  Mrs.  Dennistoun  : — 

"  Did  no  shadows,  or  shades,  or  shades  of  shadows,  such 
as  seldom  dim  your  fair  spirit,  pass  over  it,  cast  from  the 
actual  substance  of  my  carelessness  in  not  writing  to  you  ? 
My  dog  Skye,  often  and  long  the  sole  companion  of  my 
study,  alone  knows  the  sorrowings  and  repentings  I  have 
had  anent  unanswered  letters !  He  has  heard  my 
groans,  witnessed  my  tossings,  and  listened  with  dread 
to  the  stampings  of  my  foot !  until,  with  his  quiet  eye 
and  loving  wag  from  that  eloquent  and  soothing  tail, 
he  has  quieted  me  into  better  humour  with  myself.  At 
present  having  no  Skye,  but  only  my  wife  and  child,  I 
am  out  of  humour  and  ashamed  of  myseK,  and  have  lost 
self-respect." 

"  Oct.  Srd. — How  shall  I  express  my  gratitude  to  God  ? 


26  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

This  afternoon  my  boy  was  born.  I  have  felt  crushed  by 
the  weight  of  God's  mercy.  To  live  in  anotlier  being,  and 
in  the  highest  form  of  the  human  creation,  is  a  great  filling- 
up  of  the  soul's  cravings.  What  an  object  of  love  !  The 
moment  I  heard  of  his  birth  I  solemnly  dedicated  him  to 
the  Lord,  and  so  did  we  both  in  prayer  when  we  first  met. 
We  cannot  wish  him  to  be  anything  grander  in  the 
universe  of  God  than  a  Christian.  This  we  seek  first, 
and  for  this  we  shall  labour  and  pray.  Whatever  else 
may  befall  him,  this  we  seek  as  tiie  one  thing  needful 
for  him,  whether  that  is  to  be  attained  by  sickness  or 
health,  by  poverty  or  Avealth.  I  pray  that  Avhatever 
else  hajipens,  should  God  so  will  that  the  whole  family 
are  to  reach  the  shore  on  floating  pieces  of  the  wreck  of 
a  broken  house,  yet  let  us  all  meet  there,  and  be  for  ever 
with  the  Lord  ! 

"  Into  Thy  hands,  our  God,  we  resign  our  children,  and 
dedicate  them  to  God  the  Father,  through  Jesus  the  Son, 
and  in  the  Holy  Ghost  the  Sauctifier,  one  God,  our  God, 
and  our  fathers'  God.     Amen  !  " 


The  Education  question  was  at  this  time  exciting 
keen  discussion  in  Scotland,  and  when  the  proposed 
measure  of  Lord  Moncrieff  was  before  Parliament,  its 
merits  were  debated  by  the  Presbytery  of  Glasgow. 
Norman  Macleod  was  one  of  the  speakers ;  and,  while 
he  defended  the  parish  schools,  and  could  see  no 
practical  benefit  likely  to  accrue  to  the  nation  by 
the  severance  of  the  link  which  united  them  to  the 
Church,  he  argued  strongly  in  favour  of  the  Church 
herself  attempting  to  find  a  basis  on  which  the 
three  great  Presbyterian  bodies  in  the  country  might 
co-operate  for  the  fui'therance  of  education.  He 
wished  the  privileges  of  an  Establishment  to  bo 
recognised — 


1851 — 1856.  27 

" .  .  .  .  as  a  holy  trust  to  be  used  for  tlie  good 
of  the  country  at  large,  and  of  value  solely  as  employed 
for  this  the  true  end  of  her  existence  in  the  State.  So 
far  from  grudging  to  share  with  other  bodies  our 
peculiar  advantages,  I  would  hold  it  as  a  first  truth,  and 
entering  into  the  essential  idea  of  Christianity,  that  our 
personal  and  social  blessings  are  given  us  not  for 
selfish  enjoyment,  but  to  be  shared  as  far  as  possible  with 
others." 

Under  whatever  form  of  management  the  public 
schools  might  be  placed,  he  earnestly  desired  a  higher 
and  more  practical  system  of  instruction. 

"  We  want,  for  instance,  a  higher  class  of  industrial 
schools,  in  our  large  towns  especially,  for  our  females, 
where,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  branches  of  learning, 
they  must  also  receive  instruction  in  shaping  and  making 
clothes,  in  washing  and  dressing  them,  and  in  cooking  too, 
so  as  to  fit  them  to  become  cleanly,  thoroughly  intelligent 
wives,  and  in  every  respect  helps-meet  for  an  artisan, 
who  could  make  his  home  more  attractive  to  him 
than  the  whisky-shop,  and  be  themselves  more  com- 
panionable than  its  frequenters.  We  require  a  wider 
education  for  our  artisans  themselves,  so  as  to  train  them 
up  to  such  fixed  ideas  and  habits  as  may  fit  them  to  meet 
the  actual  temptations  to  which  they  are  exposed,  to 
perform  their  duties  as  workmen,  parents,  citizens  ;  and 
so  as  to  enlarge,  also,  the  field  of  their  enjoyment  as 
human  beings  possessed  of  various  tastes  which  are  capa- 
ble of  beincf  cultivated,  and  made  the  sources  of  refined 
pleasure.  To  accomplish  all  this,  I  think  we  require  a 
higher  style  of  teacher,  imbued  with  lofty  ideas  of  his 
hiffh  callinor,  as  the  man  who  contributes  so  much  to 
mould  the  character  of  the  nation  and  to  give  a  com- 
plexion to  coming  generations — a  man,  in  short,  with 
somewhat  of  the  sj)irit  of  Arnold.  I  do  think  that  a  careful 
training  of  our  people — to  enable  them  to  discharge  their 
individual  duties,  such  as  steady  labour,  preservation  of 


28  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

health,  sohricty,  kindness,  prudence,  chastity  ;  their 
domestic  duties  as  parents ;  their  duties  as  members  of 
society,  in  courteous  and  truthful  dealings,  fulfilment  of 
engagements,  obedience  combined  with  independence  as 
workmen  ;  their  duties  towards  the  State,  whether  with 
reference  to  their  rulers  or  the  administrators  of  law,  along 
with  information  on  the  history  and  government  of  their 
country,  and  such  like — that  upon  such  points  as  the.-j 
their  training  has  been  greatly  neglected,  and  requires  to 
be  extensively  improved,  and  based  upon  and  saturated 
with  Christian  principle.  I  think  we  owe  something  to 
the  Secularists  in  directing  our  attention  to  details  in  the 
education  required  for  common  life  ;  while  they  ought  to  be 
grateful  to  us  for  imbuing  the  mind  with  the  only  power 
which  will  enable  men  to  apply  their  knowledge  to 
practice." 


From  his  Jo  urn  ax  : — 

''  Ajiril  23rcZ,  1854, — I  have  been  very  busy  with  the 
memoir.  The  want  of  incident  is  my  difficulty.  I  must 
always  remember  those  reading  it  who  never  heard  of  his 
name.  I  have  always  felt  an  assurance  that  Jesus  loved 
John  too  well  to  permit  me  to  misinterpret  that  character, 
which  had  been  proved  by  His  own  Spirit,  and  which  was 
given  me  in  providence  to  show  to  the  world. 

"May  1th. — I  go  to-morrow  to  London,  to  preach  for  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  thankful  in  being  honoured 
thus  to  help  on  the  world's  work  of  advancing  Christ's 
kingdom.  Whatever  comes,  I  feel  assured  all  will  be 
well."* 


lie  attended  the  General  Assembly  of  18o4,  and 
took  a  prominent  part  in  nearly  all  the  debates.  In 
this  Assembly — and  this  may  be  said  of  all  those  of 

•  Ilis  sermon  on  this  occasion  mado  a  profound  impression,  and  the 
Directors  not  only  expressed  their  thanks,  but  repeatedly  urged  hiui 
to  publish  it.     This,  however,  he  declined  to  do. 


1851  — 1856.  29 

which  he  was  in  after  years  a  member — his  addresses 
on  the  Missionary  Eeports  gave  a  character  of  their 
own  to  the  whole  proceedings.  The  House  was  filled 
to  overflowing  when  he  was  expected  to  speak ;  and 
his  appeals,  burning  with  courage,  and  zeal,  and  hope- 
fulness, not  only  imparted  new  life  to  the  Assembly, 
but  increased  the  influence  of  the  Church  in  the 
country. 

In  the  Assembly  of  1854  he  first  took  a  decided 
stand  against  the  party  which  had  ruled  the  policy 
of  the  Church  for  several  years,  and  which  had  served 
in  no  small  measure  to  alienate  from  her  the  sym- 
pathy of  the  nation  by  the  persistency  with  which  it 
opposed  every  public  measure,  however  reasonable, 
that  seemed  to  threaten  any  of  her  ancient  prero- 
gatives. The  recent  repeal  of  the  Tests  which  had 
hitherto  been  imposed  on  the  professors  of  the  Scotch 
Universities — who,  on  admission  to  ofiice,  were  re- 
quired to  sign  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and  sub- 
scribe the  formula  of  the  Church  of  Scotland — was 
now  hotly  discussed  in  the  Assembly.  The  wiser 
leaders,  while  regretting  the  sweeping  nature  of  the 
change,  were  prepared  'to  accept  the  inevitable,' 
and  made  a  stand  against  the  section  of  extreme 
Conservatives,  who  not  only  wished  to  protest  anew, 
but  even  proposed  to  form  a  new  University  in  con- 
nection with  the  Church.  Norman  Macleod  had  too 
much  common  sense  not  to  perceive  the  folly  of 
resisting  changes  which  the  altered  condition  of  the 
country  rendered  necessary,  and  gave  expression  to 
his  views  in  a  manner  which  startled  both  sides 
of  the  House,  and  which  rang  through  the  country 


30  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

as  the  token  of  an  unexpectedly  liberal  spiiit  rising 
in  the  Church. 

"  A  great  deal  had  been  said  about  expediency,  about 
the  tremendous  danger  of  vacillation,  and  the  immense 
importance  of  what  Avas  called  standing  by  their  prin- 
ciples. It  appeared  to  him  that  one  of  the  greatest 
mistalvcs  made  by  the  Church  of  Scotland  was  constantly 
elevating  things  which  were  out-and-out  matters  of  expe- 
diency, and  maintaining  that  th3y  were  eternal  principles. 
There  were  certain  things  that  could  never  change.  The 
eternal  truth  revealed  by  the  living  God  Avas,  from  genera- 
tion to  generation,  without  change.  But  there  were  things 
that  were  flexible,  and  ought  to  be  so  ;  and  the  great 
error  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  had  ever  been  the 
assuming  of  an  attitude  Avliich  Avas  said  to  be  one  of 
principle,  and  injury  after  injury  had  been  done  to  the 
Church,  not  because  she  Avould  not  sacrifice  her  principles, 
but  because  she  Avould  not  modify  her  institutions  to  suit 
the  times.  Instead  of  doing  this,  she  had  resisted  every 
channre,  and  this  had  been  the  source  of  almost  all  the 
misfortunes  Avhich  had  ever  befallen  her.  For  one  evil 
that  could  be  pointed  out  arising  from  a  Avise  and  judicious 
yielding  to  the  times,  he  Avould  point  out  scores  of  instances, 
doAvn  to  1843,  from  Avhich  she  had  suffered  from  stub- 
bornly standing  on  pin-points  called  principles. 

"  ....  It  was  proposed  to  go  to  the  country  for 
money  to  build  a  new  College.  He  objected  to  that  out- 
and-out.  He  objected  to  the  national  Churcli  throAving 
herself  loose  from  the  national  Universities,  and  sinking 
doAvn  to  the  position  of  a  mere  sect,  and  handing  over  the 
Universities  to  other  parties.  He  Avamed  them  that  if 
there  issued  from  this  House  ojiinions  Avhich  obtained  no 
sympathy  in  the  country,  instead  of  gaining  a  hold  on  the 
atfcctions  of  the  people,  they  Avould  come  to  have  no  more 
influence  on  the  nation  than  the  weather-cock  on  the  top 
of  the  steeple  affected  the  people  passing  in  the  street. 
Let  them  try  to  educate  the  country  u})  to  tluMr  |)rinciples 
before  they  proposed  to  them  things  in  Avhich  the  country 
bad  no  sympathy. 


1851 — 1856.  31 

"  ....  He  thought  it  only  fair  to  say  that  he 
did  not  know  of  a  single  measure  that  had  been  passed  by 
the  Legislature  which  he  would  wish  to  see  reversed — 
neither  the  Emancipation  Bill,  nor  the  Reform  Bill,  nor 
the  Corn-law  Bill,  nor  the  University  Tests  Bill,  nor  any 
other  Bill. 

"  He  was  one  of  those,  moreover,  who  believed  that  the 
Legislature  had  a  perfect  right  to  modify  such  institutions 
as  the  Universities  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  acce.  He 
was  one  of  those  who  believed  it  was  a  fair  and  a  rio-ht 
thing  that  men  who  did  not  belong  to  the  Church  of 
Scotland,  but  who,  like  her,  held  Protestant  principles, 
should  be  permitted  to  teach  in  these  lay  chairs.  He 
therefore  wanted  a  Test,  certainly,  and  so  far  he  differed 
from  the  late  Act ;  but  he  did  not  want  such  a  Test  as 
was  desired  by  his  fathers  and  brethren  who  formed  the 
majority  of  the  Church  ;  nay,  perhaps  he  ought  to  confess 
that  he  was  so  very  heterodox,  that  he  should  not  have 
started,  or  thought  the  world  was  coming  to  an  end,  even 
if  it  had  been  proposed  to  place  a  Jesuit  in  a  Medical 
Chair,  and  on  this  simple  ground,  that  if  his  limb  were  to 
be  operated  on,  he  should  jorefer  a  skilful  Jesuit  to  an 
unskilful  Protestant.  He  would  rather  have  a  man  to  do 
it  well  who  sympathised  with  the  Council  of  Trent,  than  a 
man  to  do  it  ill  who  believed  in  the  Westminster  Confes- 
sion ;  and  he  rather  thought  the  great  majority  of  the 
House  would,  in  such  a  situation,  act  on  the  same  prin- 
ciples. He  saw  no  reason  why  such  men  should  not  teach 
others  to  do  well  what  they  did  so  well  themselves.  But 
at  the  same  time,  he  did  desire  that  there  should  be  a 
Test  of  some  kind,  and  was  very  far  from  speaking  lightly 
of  the  differences  which  separated  them  from  Rome." 

To  the  Eev.  TnoMAS  Goedon,  Newbattle  : — 

Woodlands  Terrace. 
"...  Act  of  security  !  It  might  as  well  secure  horse- 
power versus  steam  to  all  generations  as  secure  anything 
which  cannot  be  secured  on  its  own  footing — i.e.,  because 
it  is  worth  securing.  The  only  acts  which  have  any 
security  for  resisting  modem  changes   are    the    Acts  of 


32  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

the    Apostles — and    tlicy    will    defy    either    Strauss    or 
Wiseman." 

To  Eov.  A.  Clerk,  LL.D.  : — 

June,  1854. 

"The  General  Assembly  was  a  Dead  Sea  of  common- 
places— flat,  stale,  and  unprofitable.  Not  one  flash  of 
any  idea  or  sentiment  to  rouse  a  noble  passion  in  the  soul. 
The  Tests  were  of  course  carried  by  a  large  majority.  I 
think  the  church  is  a  poor  affixir  at  present,  but  has  got  a 
calling  for  the  good  of  this  land  and  of  Christendom,  which 
she  alone  can  execute  if  she  would  ! " 

To  his  Mother,  on  liis  birtliclay  : — 

June^  1854. 

"  Well,  dear,  it  was  a  noble  Assembl3^  and  God  enabled 
me  to  do  what  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  was  a 
needful  and  good  work  in  it.  I  sought  His  aid,  and  He 
gave  it  to  me.  I  w^as  greatly  solemnised,  I  assure  you. 
The  reports  give  you  a  poor  idea  of  what  I  said.  Each 
speech  was  about  forty  minutes,  and  nothing  could  exceed 
the  cordial  manner  in  which  it  Avas  received. 

"  Forty-three  years  since,  I  lay  on  your  knee,  the  object 
of  a  love  that,  as  I  have  often  said,  is  liker  the  love  of  God 
than  any  other,  and  which,  in  your  case,  dearest,  has  been 
as  deep,  constant,  and  unwearied  as  ever  existed  in  any 
human  bosom.  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  sigh  for  the 
past  and  fear  the  future.  My  motto  is  not  '  backwards,' 
but  '  forwards,' — on  and  on,  for  ever  !  I  wish  no  year 
recalled,  unless  I  had  more  grace  wdth  it  to  make  it  better 
and  to  improve  it  more   for  God's  glory. 

"  *  One  generation  comcth,  and  another  goeth.'  But  I 
cannot  wish  more  for  my  boy  on  earth  than  that  he  should 
at  forty-three  have  parents  spared  to  him  to  be  such  a 
source  of  happiness  to  him  as  mine  are  to  me.  God 
bless  you  both  for  all  you  have  been  and  are." 

From  his  JouuNAL  : — 

''June,  3. — ^I  this  day  enter  my  forty-third  year.  1 
feel  how  much  of  my  life  is  passed,  and  slowly  but  surely 


1851 — 1856.  33 

the  force  tliat  is  in  me  to  do  Christ's  work  will  beofin  to 
decline. 

"  Oh,  my  God,  I  have  not  hid  my  daily  shortcomings  from 
Thee.  Thou  hast  forgiven  me  in  Christ.  My  Father,  never 
let  me  be  without  the  indwelling  of  Thy  Spirit  for  an  hour, 
for  it  would  be  an  hour  of  dreadful  horror.  Let  my  life 
be  every  day  more  unconscious  of  my  own  presence  and 
more  conscious  of  Thine.  Make  me  an  mstrument  in 
Thy  hands  for  advancing  Thy  kingdom,  reviving  the 
Church  of  Scotland,  and  for  uniting  all  Christians  in  this 
land. 

"  One  man,  0  Lord,  lifts  up  his  voice  and  praises  Thee 
that  he  has  been  born,  because  he  knows  Thee  and  Jesus 
Christ  Whom  Thou  hast  sent,  and  knows  that,  while  no 
man  on  earth  deserves  it,  this  is  eternal  life  ! 

"July  23,  1854. — With  the  exception  of  the  preface, 
the  Life  is  finished  and  printed.     Glory  to  God  ! 

When  I  went  to  see  John,  I  put  the  question,  '  What 
shall  be  the  end  thereof  ? '  How  much  has  been  seen  of 
the  end  already ! 

"  It  was  a  stransfe  feeling,  to  end  a  work  which  had 
given  me  his  companionship  for  so  long  a  time.  It  seemed 
like  a  second  death  ! 

"  Thank  God  I  have  been  enabled  to  write  a  biography 
without  one  word  of  untruth  or  exaggeration  in  it,  as  far 
as  I  know.  It  may  not  say  enough,  or  go  far  enough,  but 
all  it  says  is  true ;  as  far  as  it  goes,  it  is  true. 

"  Does  my  dear  friend  know  this  is  done  ?  I  believe 
he  does,  and  that  as  far  as  it  is  true,  and  tends  to  glorify 
his  Master  in  whose  presence  he  is,  and  who  is  his  all  in 
aU,  so  far  he  rejoices  in  it,  so  I  add  to  his  joy.  What  a 
delightful  thought !  For  surely  if  he  knows  that  his  life 
has  not  been  so  unfinished  as  it  seemed  to  have  been,  that 
he  is  by  these  memorials  enabled  to  advance  that  Idngdom 
much  more  than  he  could  have  done  had  he  been  spared 
to  labour  as  a  minister,  surely  this  will  fill  him  with 
deeper  love  to  Jesus,  and  a  profounder  admiration  of  His 
love  and  wisdom,  and  so  increase  his  oavq  joy. 

"  What  an  infant  in  spiritual  growth  am  I  to  him ! 
But  let  his  bright   and   beautiful  example   not  cast  me 

VOL.    II.  D 


34  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

down,  but  lift  me  up  and  stimulate  me  to  labour  more  for 
Christ,  and  not  to  be  slothful,  but  through  fi^^uth  and 
patience  to  follow  him,  even  as  he  followed  his  Lord. 

" .  .  .  .  How  strange  that  as  3'et  my  child  knoAvs  not 
God  !  I  have  resolved  that  she  shall  not  hear  His  name  till 
she  has  langiuige  to  apprehend  what  I  mean,  and  that  no  one 
shall  speak  of  God  to  her  till  I  do  so.  This  is  a  moment 
in  her  life  which  I  claim  as  my  own.  I  shall  have  the 
blessedness  of  first  telling  her  of  Him  who  I  trust  (Oh,  my 
Father,  for  Christ's  sake  let  it  be — oh,  let  it !)  shall  be 
her  all  in  all  for  ever  after.  For  a  time  I  must  be  to 
her  as  God  :  His  shadow.  His  representative  and  her  father 
on  earth  shall  lead  her  to  Thee,  her  Father  and  mine. 

"Another  system  than  this  I  know  is  generally  pur- 
sued, and  much  is  thought  to  be  gained  by  cramming  a 
child  with  holy  words  before  it  can  hardly  lisp  them.      I 

heard  last  week  of  's  boy  saying  to  some  one,    '  I 

don't  like  God,  for  He  sends  rain.'  This  was  quite  natural, 
but  what  is  gained  by  such  instruction  ? " 


To  the  late  Mrs.  Macredie,  Adamton  : — 

"My  dear  Madam, — 

"  I  make  it  a  rule  never  to  pen  a  letter  except 
upon  great  occasions,  or  to  remarkable  persons.  The  last 
I  wrote  was  on  the  great  occasion  of  a  Free  Church 
minister  bowing  to  an  Erastian  ;  and  one  also  to  my  wife, 
when  she  did  implicitly  what  I  commanded  her. 

"  1  take  up  my  pen  once  more.  I  need  not  say  the 
dignity  of  the  person  to  whom  I  Avrite  is  a  sufficient  proof 
that  I  do  not  break  through  my  rule.  But  the  occasion 
is  still  more  remarkable.  What  is  it  ?  "What  has 
happened  in  the  political,  literary,  or  religious  world  ?  Is 
Sebastopol  taken  ?  or  is  the  Irish  Society  defunct  ?     Has 

the  Pojie  asked  Miss in  marriage  ?     Is  the  Czar  to 

be  the  Commissioner  of  next  Assembly  ?  Is  Omer  Pasha 
to  be  member  for  Ayrsliire  ?  Any  or  all  of  those  suppo- 
sitions would  be  nothing  to  the  news  I  have  to  tell  you. 
1  assure  you,  nothing !  Now,  I  would  tell  you  at  once, 
but  I  don't  want  to  give  you  a  shock  ;  for  I  was  told  to 


1851  —  i8s6.  35 

be  cautious,  and  not  to  alarm  you,  but  to  break  the  in- 
telligence quietly  to  you,  and  to  take  you,  as  it  were, 
round  the  neck  and  breathe  the  thing  in  your  ear.  Be- 
sides, when  one  is  happy — Oh !  you  see  it,  do  you  ? 
'  Another  son  ? '  My  dear  lady,  you  shock  me  !  What  I 
wish  to  say  to  you  is  this — for  I  am  sorry  that  I  am  in  a 
hurry,  and  cannot  possibly  write  so  fully  as  I  would  wish, 
and  therefore  must  be  much  more  abrupt  than  is  proper 
for  one  in  your  delicate  health  (though  I  find  that  such 
persons  always  live  to  an  immense  age)  and  so  I  must  just 
tell  you  at  once  that — hush  now,  quietly,  and  don't  get 
agitated.  Believe  me,  you  will  survive  it — softly,  and 
slowly. 

"  Your  ■  daughter,  Mrs.  Dennistoun,  remains  with  us 
from  Friday  till  Monday,  and  I  promised  to  write  to  you. 
That's  all." 


To  Thomas  Constable,  Esq.  : — 

July  I8ih,  1854. 

"  I  have  always  addressed  you  more  as  the  friend  of 
John  Mackintosh  than  as  the  publisher  of  the  memorials 
of  his  life.  As  such  you  will  be  glad  to  receive  the  con- 
clusion of  the  last  chapter,  which  I  send  by  this  post. 

"  I  have  been  writing  these  latter  images  since  early 
dawn ;  and  deeply  affecting  though  they  be,  I  cannot 
think  they  will  cost  my  readers  as  many  tears  as  they  have 
cost  me  while  penning  them.  I  feel  concluding  this 
book  as  a  positive  loss  to  myself.  It  is  like  a  second 
death  and  burial.  It  was  never  a  weariness,  but  a  delight 
to  me.  I  fear  that  I  have  failed  to  convey  but  a  very 
feeble  impression  of  those  days  at  Cannstadt.  I  wish  it 
had  been  possible  for  me  to  have  said  less,  and  to  have 
permitted  him  to  say  more  ;  yet  I  cannot  think  any  one 
will  fail  to  discover  in  all  I  have  written  the  details  of  a 
true  story  of  one  of  the  truest  men  that  ever  blessed  the 
earth  by  his  presence.  For  mj^self,  I  return  my  most 
hearty  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for  having  honoured  me 
so  far  as  to  have  permitted  these  hands  of  mine  to  erect 
this  memorial  of  my  beloved  friend  for  the  good  of  the 

D  2 


36  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Church  and  of  tlie  Avorld.  ^[any  will  think  the  work  a 
small  one  in  this  world  of  many  works  and  great  teachers, 
but  had  I  done  nothing  more  than  accomplish  this  one 
alone,  I  should  feel  that  I  had  not  been  born  in  vain,  and 
that  it  was  worth  living  for.  It  has  been  begim,  carried 
on,  and  ended  in  prayer ;  and  with  the  sincere  desire, 
above  all  others,  that  in  liim  his  Lord  may  be  glorified. 

"  You  know  that  I  refuse  all  fee  and  reward  for  this 
book,  in  the  shape  of  money.  Love  is  its  own  reward, 
but  I  hope  to  receive  an  immense  return  for  my  little 
labour  in  hearing  from  time  to  time  that  the  character  of 
my  dear  friend  is  being  better  kno^vn  and  loved,  and  his 
example  followed  by  many  to  the  glory  of  God." 

From  his  Jotjiiin"AL  : — 

"  September. — I  visited  Geddes  last  month,  and  I  feel 
that  I  have  got  a  ickiff  of  the  same  land  of  air  John 
breathed  there.  How  strange  !  Kate  and  I  both  opened 
the  first  copy  of  the  ]\Iemoir  there !  and  that  on  the  day 
after  the  anniversary  of  our  marriage.  We  saw,  too,  old 
Saunders  Rose,'  still  alive  and  well  and  holy ;  and  I  held 
a  prayer-meeting  in  the  old  place  where  John  used  to  hold 
his,  at  Burnside. 

"  It  was  altogether  delightful.  And  then  Loch  Shiel, 
John  Shairp  and  his  wife,  and  the  Communion  at  Kilmallie 
together  !     The  Lord  be  praised  ! " 


When  he  imdortook  the  congenial  task  of  writinpj 
the  life  of  his  dear  friend,  he  determined  that  it  should 
be  wholly  a  labour  of  love,  and  with  the  hearty  consent 
of  his  mother-in-law,  Mrs.  Mackintosh,  he  resolved  to 
devote  whatever  profit  might  accrue  from  the  sale  of 
the  Memoir  to  the  Foreign  mission  of  the  Free  Chiu'ch. 
Mackintosh  had  been  a  Free  Church  student,  and  the 
book  was  virtually  his,  and  thus  not  only  under  a 
sense   of  the   propriety   of    the   act,    but    delighted 


1851 — 1856.  37 

at  the  opportunity  of  giving  expression  to  those 
feelings  of  good-will  which  he  entertained  for  the 
missionary  labour  of  all  Churches,  and  especially  of 
that  Church  which,  in  spite  of  recent  controversies 
and  separations,  was  yet  nearest  his  own  in  doctrine 
and  government,  he  forwarded  with  sincere  pleasure 
.£200  to  her  Indian  Missions.  The  Free  Church 
Assembly  took  the  earliest  opportunity  of  recording 
its  thanks,  which  were  embodied  in  the  following 
minute : — 

"In  acknowledging  receipt  from  the  biographer  and 
representatives  of  the  late  John  Mackintosh  of  £200 — 
the  entire  profit  derived  from  the  sale  of  his  Memoir — the 
Assembly  desires  to  record  its  deep  and  grateful  sense  of 
the  faithful  and  graceful  manner  in  which  the  Memoir  has 
been  written,  of  the  loss  which  this  Church  has  sustained 
in  his  premature  removal,  and  of  the  considerate  regard 
to  his  memory  which  has  prompted  this  generous  dona- 
tion, and  they  instruct  their  Convener  to  communicate 
the  same  to  Mrs.  Mackintosh  and  the  Rev.  Norman 
Macleod."* 


To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

KlRKALDT,  Oct.  2,  1854. 

"  Kiss  my  boy  for  me  on  his  birth-day,  and  pray  with 
me  for  him,  that  whatever  else  he  is  he  may  be  a  child  of 
God. 

"  Please — for  there  is  a  domestic  propriety  which  is  a 
gentile  court  to  religion — have  my  father  or  George,  or  both, 

*  In  forwarding  this  extract  of  minutes,  the  Convener,  the  late 
Dr.  Tweedie,  kindly  expressed  his  own  sense  of  the  catholicity  of 
spirit  which  had  dictated  the  act: — "It  supplies  in  some  measure  a 
presage  of  what  will  take  place  when  external  barriers  shall  be 
removed,  and  when  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  be  verily  one  in 
spirit  and  in  truth." 


38  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD, 

to  dinner,  and  drink  my  boy's  health  in  a  good  bottle  of 
champagne,  with  all  the  honours. 

"  Glorious  news  this  of  Sebastopol !     A  great  opening 
for  the  gospel." 


To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 


Ceathie,  Od.,  1854. 


"  This  has  been  a  heavenly  day  of  beauty — the  sky 
almost  cloudless  ;  the  stones  on  the  hill  side  so  distinct 
that  they  might  be  counted ;  the  Dee  swinging  past  with 
its  deep-toned  murmur. 

"  I  preached  without  a  note  the  same  sermon  I  preached 
at  Morven  ;  *  and  I  never  looked  once  at  the  royal  seat,  but 
solely  at  the  congregation.  I  tried  to  forget  the  great  ones 
I  saw,  and  to  remember  the  great  Ones  I  saw  not,  and  so  I 
preached  from  my  heart,  and  with  as  much  freedom,  really, 
as  at  a  mission  station. 

"  And  so  the  day  has  ended,  for  the  present.  The  Lord 
brought  me  here.  He  has  heard  my  prayer,  and  sustained 
my  heart,  and  enabled  me  to  do  His  will.  And  now  I 
pray  that  this  talent,  given  me  in  love,  may  be  for  His 
glory. 

"  Kiss  the  bairns,  thank  God  for  me,  and  in  after 
years  teach  your  boy  this  lesson — not  to  seek  his  work, 

*  It  is  interesting  to  compare  witli  this  the  touching  notice  of  the 
service  recorded  by  Her  Majesty  : — 

Odoher  29, 1854. 
""Wo  went  to  kirk  as  usual  at  twelve  o'clock.  The  service  was 
performed  by  the  Ecv.  Norman  M'Lood,  of  Glasgow,  son  of  Dr. 
M'Leod,  and  anything  finer  I  never  heard.  The  sermon,  entirely 
extempore,  was  quite  admirable,  so  simple,  and  j'et  so  eloquent,  and 
so  beautifully  argued  and  put.  Wx.  M'Leod  showed  iia  the  sermon 
how  we  all  tried  to  please  se}f,  and  live  for  that,  and  in  so  doing  found 
no  rest.  Christ  had  come  not  only  to  die  for  us,  but  to  show  how  we 
were  to  live.  The  second  prayer  was  very  touching ;  his  allusions 
to  us  were  so  simple,  saying,  after  his  mention  of  lis,  '  bless  their 
children,'  It  gave  me  a  lump  in  my  throat,  as  also  when  he  prayed 
for  '  the  dying,  the  wounded,  the  widow,  and  the  orphans.'  Every 
one  came  back  delighted ;  and  how  satisfactory  it  is  to  come  back 
from  church  with  such  feelings !  The  servants  and  the  Highlanders 
— all — wore  equally  delighted." 


1851  —  '856.  39 

but  to  receive   it  when  given  him,  and  to  do  it  to  God 
without  fear." 

From  his  Journal  : — 

"  Retrospect. — I  had  received  an  invitation  to  preach 
at  Crathie  when  I  was  at  Kirkakly.  I  refused  to  go.  I 
had  announced  the  opening  of  my  church,  after  it  had 
been  closed  for  two  months  to  be  repaired,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  that  my  duty  to  open  it  was  greater  than  to  accept 
of  Mr.  Anderson's  invitation  to  preach  before  the  Queen. 
The  going  there,  therefore,  was  not  sought  for  by  me.  I 
returned  home  at  eight  Thursday  night,  and  found  a  letter 
from  Mr.  A.,  stating  that  he  asked  me  at  the  Queen's  own 
request.  My  duty  being  clear,  I  accepted  it.  The  weather 
was  superb,  and  I  was  much  struck  Avith  the  style  of  the 
scenery.  I  have  never  seen  Ross-shire,  but  I  see  a  marked 
difference  between  the  Highlands  of  Morayshire  and  Aber- 
deenshire and  the  West  Highlands,  especially  in  the  glens, 
and  the  large,  full-flowing  rivers,  such  as  the  Spey,  the  Find- 
horn,  and  the  Dee,  which  sweep  so  majestically  through 
them,  with  abundance  of  elboAv  room,  and  not  cramped  by 
slate  and  granite  into  raging,  roaring  streams.  And  then  the 
decided  marks  of  culture  in  the  valleys — the  broad  planta- 
tions, the  green  fields,  and  the  stately  homes  of  a  wealthy 
aristocracy,  and — that  I  do  not  forget  it, — the  colouring 
of  the  floors  of  the  woods  !  No  long,  damp  grass,  but 
the  glorious  mosses,  rich  and  golden,  illumined  by  the 
fiery  heather  bell. 

"  The  Sunday  at  Balmoral  was  perfect  in  its  peace  and 
beauty,  I  confess  that  I  was  much  puzzled  what  to 
preach.  I  had  with  me  some  of  my  best  sermons  (as 
people  would  call  them)  ;  but  the  struggle  which  had  be- 
gun on  Friday  morning  was  renewed — as  to  what  was  best 
m  the  truest,  most  spiritual  sense  for  such  an  occasion  ; 
until,  by  prayer,  I  resolved  to  preach  without  any  notes  a 
sermon  I  never  wrote  fully  out,  but  had  preached  very 
orten,  perhaps  fifteen  times,  solely  because  I  found  that  it 
had  found  human  sphits,  and  had  done  good.  It  was  from 
Matt.  xi.  28-30,  Mark  x.  17-31.  I  tried  to  show  what 
true  Hfe  is — life  in  the  spirit — a  finding  rest  through  the 


40  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

yoke  of  God's  service,  instead  of  the  service  of  self,  and 
by  the  cross  of  self-denial,  instead  of  self-gratification, 
illustrated  by  the  young  man  who,  Avith  all  that  was  so 
promising,  would  not  peril  his  happmess  by  seeking  it  with 
Christ  in  God. 

"  I  preached  with  intense  comfort,  and  by  God's  help 
felt  how  sublime  a  thing  it  was  to  be  His  ambassador.  I 
felt  very  acutely  how  for  our  sakes  the  Queen  and  the 
Prince  were  placed  in  so  trying  a  position,  and  was  pro- 
foundly grateful  for  the  way  in  which  they  had  governed 
us;  and  so  it  was  that  I  was  able  to  look  back  from  the 
future,  and  to  speak  as  I  shall  wish  I  had  done.  It  would 
be  most  ungrateful  in  me  not  to  record  this  singular  mercy 
of  God  to  me  ;  for  I  do  know,  and  rejoice  to  record  for  the 
strengthening  of  my  faith  in  prayer,  that  He  did  it. 
Thus  I  enjoyed  great  peace. 

"  In  the  evening,  after  daundering  in  a  green  field  with 
a  path  through  it  which  led  to  the  high  road,  and  while 
sitting  on  a  block  of  granite,  full  of  quiet  thoughts, 
mentally  reposing  in  the  midst  of  the  beautiful  scenery,  I 
was  roused  from  my  reverie  by  some  one  asking  me  if  I 
was  the  clergyman  wlio  had  preached  that  day.  I  was  soon 
in  the  presence  of  the  Queen  and  Prince  ;  when  her 
Majesty  came  forward  and  said  with  a  sweet,  kind,  and 
smiling  face,  '  We  wish  to  thank  you  for  your  sermon.' 
She  then  asked  me  how  my  father*  was — v.'hat  was  the 
name  of  my  parish,  &c. ;  and  so,  after  bowing  and  smiling, 
they  both  continued  their  quiet  evening  Avalk  alone.  And 
thus  God  blessed  me,  and  I  thanked  His  name.  I  posted 
home  by  Glenshee — not  well — and  was  in  bed  all  the 
week.  So  ends  my  story,  I  read  its  commencement  and 
ending  to  remind  me  how  God  is  always  faithful.  '  0  ye 
of  little  faith,  wherefore  did  ye  doubt  ? '  " 

To  tho  Eev.  Mr.  Watson,  Chaplain  in  the  Crimea : — 

*'  God  bless  and  prosper  you  in  your  work.  I  almost 
envy  you,  dangerous  though  it  be.      I  have  such  immense 

*  Ilis  father  had  proachotl  boforo  Ilor  M.ijosty  and  tlio  Priiico 
Consort  at  Blair  Athol  ou  the  occasion  of  their  iirat  visit  to  Scotland. 


1851 — 1856.  41 

admiration  of  tliose  glorious  fellows  that  I  would,  rejoice 
to  be  witli  them.  It  is  right  and  becoming,  too,  that 
those  who  are  soldiers  only  of  Christ  should  share  their 
danger,  so  as  to  help  them  to  share  with  us  the  life  Avhich 
is  eternal.  We  should  not  shrink  at  such  a  time,  if  God 
calls  us  to  this  work.  No  doubt  you  have  made  up  your 
mind  to  die,  and  this  is  the  true  way  of  being  brave  and  of 
finding  perfect  peace." 


From  his  JouR^srAL : — 

"  January  1,  1855,  7  A.M. — In  the  name  of  God  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Spirit,  my  God,  I  begin  the  year  !  I 
am  Thine  by  creation  and  redemption,  and  by  choice  on 
my  part ;  I  am  Thine  for  ever,  and  I  desire  to  consecrate 
every  power  and  faculty  of  body  eaid  soul  to  Thy  service 
— knowing  Thee,  the  ever-blessed  One,  Whose  service  is 
unutterable  joy.  To  know  Thee  truly  in  any  degree  is 
joy  unspeakable,  and  full  of  glory.      Amen  ! 

"The  year  '55  promises  to  be  a  very  solemn  one. 
What  battles  and  victories,  defeats  and  suiferings !  What 
brave  and  illustrious  men,  afterwards  to  be  the  Nelsons 
and  Wellingtons  of  Britain,  or  the  Napoleons  of  France — 
are  now  in  embryo  !  That  civilisation,  liberty,  religion, 
peace  will  triumph,  is  of  course  as  certain  as  that  Jesus 
Christ  reigns  !     He  does  reign — what  a  source  of  joy  ! 

"  I  have  established  a  mission  to  the  hospital  at  Scutari, 
and  am  acting  as  secretary  to  it. 

"  Jan.  1 2th. — Nothing  can  exceed  the  j)resent  com- 
plexity of  the  politics  of  the  world.  This  war  is  drawing 
all  nations  slowly  into  it  like  a  huge  maelstrom  ;  and  on 
what  side,  or  with  what  damage,  they  are  to  be  hurled  out 
of  the  maelstrom,  the  Lord  knoweth !  America  sympa- 
thises with  Russia,  solely  because  Russia  opens  up  pros- 
pects of  trade  directly  and  indirectly,  and  is  the  enemy 
of  her  British  rival— for  the  Yankees  have  concentrated 
all  greatness  in  the  dollar.  Rome  is  against  Russia  on 
Church  grounds,  and  Britain  is  now  fighting  Rome's  cause 
with  France  and  Austria.  Prussia  holds  back.  Sardinia, 
becoming  Protestant,  comes  forward.      Turkey,  tottering  to 


42  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

her  fall,  from  the  inherent  wealoiess  of  her  false  religious 
life,  is  in  vain  propped  up  by  the  allies,  though  this  will 
make  her  fall  only  the  more  conspicuous,  and  show  God's 
judgment  on  a  lie. 

"  Peace !  It  seems  to  me  as  if  the  world  was  but 
mustering  its  forces  for  such  a  campaign  as  will  revolu- 
tionise it  and  somehow  usher  in  the  glory  of  the  latter 
days.  I  wish  I  could  see  the  end.  But  I  shall  know  it 
some  day." 


To  Mrs.  Dennistoun,  on  the  death  of  her  Aunt : — 

January  29,  1855. 

"  How  could  that  life  have  been,  if  her  fiiitli  in  Jesus 
was  not  faith  in  a  real  living  Person  ?  Could  a  mere 
delusion,  a  fancy,  produce  such  a  result  of  character,  so 
true,  so  real,  so  deep,  so  long  preserved,  as  she  had  ? 
Impossible  !  and  therefore  one  reads  her  life  and  death 
as  a  living  Epistle,  which  speaks  of  the  power  of  a  hving 
Saviour  to  keep  the  soul  ever  young,  and  ever  fresh,  in 
its  tendernesses  and  s}Tnpathies  ;  to  enable  one  down  to 
extreme  old  age  to  carry  about  with  them  the  dying  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  in  their  mortal  bodies,  that  so  the  life  of 
Jesus  might  be  manifested  in  them.  How  beautiful  was 
her  love,  how  enlarged,  beaming  from  that  bed  like 
sunlight,  on  every  one  and  every  thing  around.  I  would 
be  an  atheist  if  I  could  believe  such  a  light  could  set  for 
ever  in  darkness  !  It  cannot  be.  It  has  never  ceased, 
and  never  shall  cease,  to  shine  in  God's  own  sky." 


From  his  JouENAii : — 

"  March  2nd. — This  night  heard  of  the  death  of  the 
Czar  yesterday  in  St.  Petersburg.  How  the  news  Avill  run 
from  mouth  to  mouth,  and  for  one  true  mourner,  how 
many  millions  will  rejoice  ! 

"  There  he  lies,  the  giant  man — the  '  every  inch  a  king.* 
Silent  and  dead  as  the  marble  of  his  palace. 

"  What  shall  be  the  effect  ?      Peace  ?  or,  as  I  believe, 


i8si — 1856.  43 

a  European  blaze,  and  the  ultimate  freedom  of  tlie 
world  ? 

"  The  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  for  ever  ! 

"April  27th. — I  leave  this  day  for  Edmburgh  Com- 
munion, London  Bible  Society,  Holland,  and,  D.  V.,  home. 

"  I  have  had  a  healthy,  happy  and  busy  winter,  and 
require  some  breathing  time.  May  God  m  mercy  sanctify 
it  for  my  good,  brmg  me  home  stronger  in  soul  and 
body." 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

Lo>rDOiir,  Maij  2,  1855. 

"  I  had  a  jolly    sleep   beside    C ,    who    evidently 

dreamt  he  was  a  Highland  terrier  worrying  another,  from 
the  barks  which  he  gave  in  his  sleep.  The  snores  oi 
M were  quite  orthodox.  They  were  rather  too  bare- 
faced a  copy  of  those  of  his  congTCgation.  I  never  closed 
an  eye,  of  course  !  Poor  fellow !  But  I  meditated  so 
profitably  that  I  counted  only  two  towns  on  the  way — 
Newcastle  and  York." 

To  the  Same  : — 

London. 

"  Dined   at  's.     There   was   a  party  of   eight   or 

nine.  Most  of  them  EngHsh  parsons,  with  the  usual 
amount  of  thoroughly  correct  manners,  large  hearts, 
middling  heads,  and  knowing  nothing  of  Scotland  except 
as  a  place  in  the  Islands  from  which  grouse  come.  But 
really  '  very  nice — ^you  know.'  " 

To  the  Same  : — 

Antwerp,  May  4,  11  p.m. 

"  Enjoyed  Bruges,  and  reached  Ghent  at  2.  (0 
those  glorious  chimes  of  the  old  cathedral  !)  Saw  the 
fine  Cathedral  and  Van  Eyck's  delightful  picture.  0  what 
truth  !  what  a  love  of  nature  !  what  a  taste  for  beauty  had 
the  Memlings  and  Van  Eycks  !  Some  of  the  peeps  through 
wmdows  by  the  former  and  his  minute  painting  of  floAvers 
and  trees   so   delicious  !     In  Poussin's  famous  paintmg  of 


4+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

'Christ  in   the   midst   of   the  Doctors,'    such   a  head    of 
Cliarles  V.  is  mtroduccd,  and  of  the  Duke  of  Alva  ! " 


To  the  S.VME  : — 

The  Hague,  Tuesday  Morning. 

"  I  have  seen  great  paintings,  but  no  great  men. 

"  I  have  received  much,  very  much  kindness  from  the 
Yan  Loons  and  others,  and  I  hope  to  meet  as  much  more 
at  Leyden  and  Amsterdam. 

"  The  royal  family  were  all  in  church,  hearing  dear 
Boucher,  on  Sabbath.  The  King  was  heard  saying  to  his 
sister,  when  he  went  out,  '  How  sublime  !  I  never  heard 
anything  like  it.'  *  Nor  I,'  replied  the  sister,  '  but  I  have 
no  words  to  utter  what  I  feel'  It  was  indeed  a  noble 
discourse." 


From  his  Journal  : — 

"June  Src?,  1  io5. — I  am  forty-four.  I  preached  on 
the  birth  of  a  child  being  a  legitimate  cause  of  joy.'" 

"  Glory  to  God  that  I  have  been  bom  !  I  praise  Him 
and  bless  Him  for  the  gift  of  existence  in  a  world  in  which 
His  own  Son  has  been  born  a  Saviour,  a  Brother,  and  in 
which  He  rules.  I  praise  Him,  I  bless  Him  for  such  a 
gift,  so  worthy  of  Himself. 

"  Oh  may  I  realise  His  purpose  more  and  more  by  being 
more  and  more  His  own  child  in  simplicity,  humihty, 
faith,  love,  and  undivided  obedience !  Intense  life  in 
Christ  is  mtense  joy. 

"  I  begin  this  week  to  visit  my  congregation  once  more. 
I  feel  that  personal  acquaintance  and  private  friendship 
must  be  the  foundation  of  public  good.  My  schools  are 
all  paid  for.  I  desire  to  decUcate  my  powers  with  more 
intense  devotion  to  God. 

"  June  Sth. — This  day  I  heard  my  little  girl  mention, 
for  the  first  time,  the  name  of  God.  I  had  requested 
no  one  ever  to  speak  to  her  of  God  until  I  first  had  this 
honour,  but  the  new  servant  had  done  it ;  so  I  took  the 

•  Published  in  Oood  Words  for  1873. 


1851 — 1856.  45 

child  on  my  knee  (In  Botliwell,  wLere  we  are)  and  asked 
her  several  questions  as  to  who  made  her  and  everything, 
and  she  replied,  '  God.'  O  how  indescribably  strange 
and  blessed  to  my  ears  was  the  sound  !  It  cannot  cease 
for  ever  !  My  prayer,  my  daily  prayer  is  that  she  and  all 
my  dear  children  may  be  holy  from  their  infancy,  and 
grow  up  Christians.  This,  indeed,  can  only  be  through 
the  Spirit ;  but  surely  there  is  no  necessity  that  they 
should  grow  up  at  any  time  hating  God  !  Must  they  be  as 
devils  in  their  youth,  and  be  afterwards  converted  ?  God 
forbid  !  My  prayer  and  hope  is  that  they  shall  grow  up  in 
the  nurture  of  the  Lord,  and  be  His  own  dear  children  from 
their  infancy.  Why  not  love  Him  as  well  as  me,  their 
earthly  father  ?  Oh,  beloved  Saviour,  take  them  as  babes 
into  thine  own  arms,  and  bless  them  and  make  them  thine  ! 
May  they  never,  never  mention  the  name  of  God,  but  as 
that  of  a  Father. 

"  Lord  !  my  hope  is  in  Thee.  Let  me  not  be  put  to 
shame." 

To  his  Atjistt,  Mrs.   Maxwell,  after  tlie  burial  of  her  husband   at 
Campsie : — 

BoTHWELL,  July  20,  1855. 

"  We  have  just  returned  from  that  green  spot  where 
are  gathering  the  earthly  remains  of  so  many  who  made 
the  earth  beautiful  to  us,  and  whose  undying  spirits  make 
Heaven  more  homely  to  us.  When  standing  there  it  was 
glorious  to  feel  that  we  could  not  sorrow  for  one  of  our 
own  there  as  '  without  hope,'  but  in  the  sure  and  certain 
hope  of  a  resurrection  unto  life  for  them  in  Christ.  How 
peacefully  did  he,  the  last  laid  there,  repose  after  his  long 
and  harassing  journey !  God  alone,  who  knew  his  frame,  and 
the  mysterious  influence  which  the  frad  body  so  mightily 
exercises  over  the  mind,  can  tell  what  a  life  struggle  he  had  ! 
But  he  fought,  and  that  was  everything  ;  and  I  heartily 
believe  that  he  is  now  in  His  presence  for  evermore,  with 
exceeding  joy  ;  and  few  there  will  cast  their  crowns  down 
with  more  exceeding  reverence,  humility,  and  awe,  and 
acknowledge  more  joyfully  the  exceeding  riches  of  the 
grace  of  Christ  bestowed  upon  him.     I   shall  take  good 


45  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

care  that  my  children  shall  hear  of  those  itncles  and  aunts 
■whom  we  all  so  mucli  loved  and  admired — of  their  refined 
and  exquisite  honour,  their  deep  and  touching  benevo- 
lence, their  tender  and  sjTmpathismg  hearts,  their  beautiful 
and  transparent  truthfulness,  and  admiration  of  all  that 
■\^as  really  good  and  true. 

"  In  a  few  years  that  spot  in  Campsie  will  be  full.  I 
hope  to  lie  there  with  my  wife,  and  possibly  my  family. 
'  Then  cometh  the  end.'  With  such  an  end  we  may  well 
pray,  '  Thy  kingdom  come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as 
it  is  in  heaven.'  " 


From  his  Jottexal  : — 

"August  list,  1855. — T  start  this  day,  with  Dr.  Craik, 
for  the  Paris  Conference  of  the  EvangeHcal  Alliance.  I 
am  very  glad  to  do  so,  for  I  have  had  a  busy  summer. 

"  I  pray  that  good  may  come  to  the  Church  of  Christ 
out  of  this  Conference  ;  that  God  may  give  us  all  humility, 
justice,  love,  and  luisdom.  tlay  I  be  kept  with  a  pure 
heart  and  single  eye,  spealdng  the  truth  in  love,  fearing 
neither  the  world  profane  nor  the  world  religious,  but 
obeying  God's  Spirit. 

"  Lord  !  keep  my  beloved  ones  in  my  absence  ;  and 
keep  my  soul,  spirit  and  body,  for  Thy  glorious  and  eternal 
kinfrdom  !" 


To  Mrs.  Macleod  : — 

PaPxTS,  Jvrjust,  1855. 

"  Dinner  at  Herschell's  ;  Krummacher,  Count  St.  George, 
and  others  there.  Went  to  the  Exposition ;  the  finest 
collection  of  paintings  I  ever  saw.  The  heat  past  endu- 
rance ;  I  walk  twelve  miles  daily.  The  Alliance  of  no 
use ;  private  meetings  to-day  to  try  and  make  it  so. 
Heard  a  Puscyite  sermon ;  horrid  trash.  No  one  from 
Scotland  has  preached.  Bad  arrangements.  The  life 
spent  by  us  most  agreeable  and  most  useful  to  ourselves, 
but  utterly  useless  to  others,  except  the  cafes.  The  Queen 
left  to-day  ;  the  day  glorious,  the  scene  magnificent ;  felt 
my  heart  beat  in  hearing  'God  save  the  Queen'  as  the 


I85I— 1856. 


47 


grand  cortege  passed  along  the  Boulevards — she  looking 
so  well — the  Emperor  and  Prince  Albert  on  one  side,  and 
the  Queen  and  another  lady  on  the  other." 


Froin  his  JouENAii : — 

"October  1st,  1855. — Things  to  be  aimed  at  and  pra3'ed 
for  :— 

"1.  To  perfect  holiness.  Is  it  possible  that  I  shall 
habitually  possess  myself,  and  exercise  holy  watchfulness 
over  my  words  and  temper,  so  that  in  private  and  public  I 
shall  live  as  a  man  who  truly  realises  God's  constant 
presence— who  is  one  with  Christ,  and  therefore  lives  among 
men  and  acts  towards  them  with  His  mind  and  spirit  ? 
I,  meek,  humble,  loving,  ever  by  my  life  drawing  m.en  to 
Christ — self  behind,  Christ  before  !  I  believe  this  to  be 
as  impossible  by  my  o-wn  resolving  as  that  I  could  become 
a  Shakespear,  a  Newton,  a  Milton  ;  yet  if  God  calls  me 
to  this,  God  can  so  enable  me  to  realise  it  that  He  shall 
be  pleased  with  me.  But  will  I  really  strive  after  it  ? 
Oh,  my  Father !  see,  hear,  and  help  Thy  Aveak  and  perish- 
ing child  !  For  Christ's  sake,  put  strength  in  me  ;  fulfil 
in  me  the  good  pleasure  of  Thy  will.  Lord,  pity  me  and 
have  mercy  on  me,  that  I  may  famish  and  thii'st  for 
Thee  and  perfect  holiness  ! 

"  2.  To  know  and  improve  every  talent  to  the  utmost, 
whether  in  preaching,  writing,  speaking,  acting.  I  feel 
convinced  that  every  man  has  given  him  of  God  much 
more  than  he  has  any  idea  of,  and  that  he  can  help  on 
the  world's  work  m  re  than  he  knows  of.  What  we 
want  is  the  siigle  eye  that  will  see  what  our  work  is,  the 
humilily  to  accept  it  however  lowly,  the  faith  to  do  it  for 
God,  the  perseverance  to  go  on  till  death. 

"  Wise  and  loving  Father  !  Magnify  Thy  patience  in 
my  wilfulness  and  stupidity,  Thy  strength  in  my  weakness, 
Thy  mighty  grace  in  my  paltry  vanity,  Thy  love  in  my 
selfishness.  Let  not  the  fragments  of  my  poorly  educated 
mind  and  broken  time  be  lost,  but  glorify  Thyself  in  me, 
that  when  I  die  some  shall  feel  and  acknowledge  Tliy 
goodness  in  having  created  me,  and  given  me  to  my  fellow 


48  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

men.  What  may  I  yet  be  and  do  in  Thee !  Oh  kt  all 
worldly  ambition  be  mortified,  and  a  holy  ambition  take 
its  place  ! 

"  Have  been  seeing ;  just  dying  ;  full  of  anxiety 

for  his  son!  ;  deeply  feel  for  him.  Notice  !  how  that  one 
name  of  Jesus  is  all-in-all !  Men  may  argue  about  the 
Atonement  ;  but  the  fact  of  an  Atonement  alone  finds  and 
meets  a  sinner  crying  out  for  mercy.  What  can  philosophy 
do  for  such,  or  an  atonement  of  mere  self-sacrifice  ?  It 
would  only  deepen  the  sense  of  sin. 

"  OcA.  80,  5^  P.M. — I  have  this  moment  finished  my 
little  book  on  the  Home  School.  I  have  made  it  a  subject 
of  constant  prayer,  and  have  sincerely  tried  to  write  what 
may  do  good  to  my  fellow-men.  I  believe  God  will  grant 
it  such  a  measure  of  success  that  I  shall  not  be  put  to 
shame,  I  do  crave  the  reward  of  its  helping  human 
hearts  to  do  God's  will.  If  I  am  taken  away,  I  feel  it 
will  be  a  pleasing  little  legacy  to  my  beloved  wife  and  chil- 
dren. The  latter  will  leam  what  the  former  already  Icnows, 
and  what  (thank  God !)  she  sincerely  sympathises  with 
me  in — for  in  this,  as  in  all  things,  we  are  fellow-workers. 
The  children  will  Imow  what  their  father  wished,  prayed 
for,  and  resolved  to  labour  for. 

"  There  are  stages  in  love  to  God  found,  I  think,  in 
the  experience  of  all  advanced  Christians.  The  first  is  love, 
or  rather  gratitude,  for  what  God  has  done  or  is  to  us  ; 
the  second,  love  for  what  He  is  in  Himself  ;  the  third, 
a  love  which,  not  satisfied  with  personal  enjo}Tnent,  desires 
that  the  universe  may  share  it,  and  is  grieved,  amazed, 
horrified,  that  any  should  be  blind  to  it — that  we  our- 
selves should  have  been  so,  and  see  it  so  dimly.  Do  I 
desire  that  God  should  thus  be  glorified?" 


To  liis  sister  Jane  : — 

"  I  know  you  Avould  like  a  yarn  about  all  manner  of 
particulars,  but  it  is  simply  impossible.  I  believe  the 
time  is  soon  coming  when  visits  and  messages  by  the  tele- 
graph will  be  common,  but  letters  as  much  out  of  date  as 
foUos.     The  Apostle  John's  letters  are  not  very  long,  but 


I85I — 1856- 


49 


the  writing  of  them  seems  to  have  been  uncongenial,  for 
he  frets  agamst  pen  and  ink.  By  the  way,  it  was  to 
a  lady,  who  I  have  no  doubt  complained  of  his  not 
writing  as  long  letters  to  her  as  Paul  did  to  some  of  his 
other  friends," 


To  his  Brother  Donald,  then  abroad : — 

"  I  rejoice  that  you  are  getting  into  good  French 
society.  See  as  many  persons  as  you  possibly  can — as 
various  t}"pes  of  opinion  as  possible. 
Be  not  ashamed  to  confess  ignorance, 
and  be  always  asking,  and  you  will 
learn  much.    Men,  men — meet  men  ! 

"  Beware  with   intense  watchful- 
ness  asrainst  the  sensualisinsf  tend- 
ency  of  excitement  and  living  abroad. 
The  society  of  the  good  is  the  best  (^ 
help    against    this — next    to    devo-     \  \\ 
tion."  ^  ./ 


JXt£ 


"Of  the 'ig'h  Church." 


To  the  Same  : — 

"  I  am  glad  you  are  at  art.     Try 
and  get  a  vivid  impression  of  the 
different    schools.       Study  chronologically.      I   remember 
there  are  at  Munich  fine  specimens  of  sketches  by  Van 


A 


; 

/ 

\ 

X 

"  Would  yon  not  like  to  see  how  that  Brother  of  oui's  in  the  Crimea 
is  looking  ?    Eh  ?" 

Dyck,    a    number    of   wonderful   Rubens,    with   excellent 
specimens  of  the  Flemish  school,  Berghen,  &c. 

VOL.    II.  E 


50  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  \Ye  had  a  noblo  meeting  of  the  British  Association. 

All  the  leading  men  were  in 
church.  Had  a  glorious  talk 
A\itli  Rawlinson — sein  eigener 
StandpunJd. 

"  Do,  my  dear  fellow,  study- 
hard  at  language.    Study,  you 

«  My  liver  is  at  present  joUy."  raSCal,   Study  !  " 

"  Jan.  17,  1856. — Report  this  morning  of  the  prospect 
of  peace  with  Russia.  Peace  is  joy  as  far  as  the  present 
suffering  is  concerned.  But  as  far  as  the  interests  of  man 
are  concerned,  and  the  position  of  our  country,  I  mourn 
the  news.  We  have  come  out  of  this  war  lower  in  every 
respect  in  the  world's  opinion  than  we  were  when  we 
entered  it.  I  fear,  if  the  war  ends,  that  it  will  be  merely 
to  give  time  to  Russia  to  prepare  for  another  by  becoming 
herself  stronofer,  and  biding-  her  time  till  the  "Western 
powers  are  disunited.  The  salvation  of  the  world  now 
will  be  pushing  missions  in  the  East,  and  overturning  all 
thinofs  from  within,  leave  the  without  to  come  right  in  its 
own  time." 


From  his  Jorr.XAL  :-— 

"Feb.  2d. — I  have  had  one  of  the  severest  fourteen 
days  of  mental  and  bodily  fatigue — chiefly,  if  not  wholly, 
the  former — which  I  have  had  for  years.  Last  week, 
after  a  previous  week  of  toU,  there  was  Monday  and 
Tuesday  writing  and   dictatmg,  changing  and  reducing  a 

letter  in  reply  to  a  horrid  one  from .     The  struggle 

— and  it  was,  I  am  ashamed  to  say,  dreadful — Avas  to 
write  and  feel  as  a  Christian,  when  my  flesh  could  have  so 
written  that  it  would  have  been  to  him  as  flaying  alive." 


To  his  Sister  Jaxe  : — 

Feb.  9,  1856. 

"  I  have  (as  Jean  used  to  say)  been  '  painfully  exer- 
cised '  by  this  unjust  attack  from .      My  struggle, 


1851 — 1856.  51 

you  understand,  is  between  the  temptation  to  yield  to 
anger  and  my  conviction  that  it  is  the  will  of  Christ  tliat 
I  should  so  love  him  as  to  consider  the  evil  in  him,  and 
seek  to  deliver  him  from  it.  How  horrible  to  be  obliged 
to  fight  at  all,  to  feel  the  desire  strong,  to  be  unable  to  say, 
'  I  love,'  to  feel  the  congeniality  of  revenge  !  0  pride  ! 
O  vanity  !  How  I  pray  not  only  to  speak  and  write  as  a 
Christian,  but  oh,  dearest,  to  feel  truly  as  one  ! 

"  As  to  John  Campbell's  book  on  the  '  Atonement,'  it 
is  like  himself,  dark,  but  deep,  and  very  true.  1  think  it 
has  led  me  captive.  I  shall  read  it  again  ;  but  it  finds 
me,  and  fills  up  a  huge  void.  I  fear  that  no  one  has 
read  it  but  myself" 

"  Sep.  27 fh. — In  May  I  went  to  London  and  preached 
for  Herschell  and  the  Sailors'  Friend  Society,  and  then 
went  to  visit  my  dear  friend  Mrs.  Dennistoun  at  Tours. 
We  had  most  delightful  drives,  visiting  Mettray,  Plessy  de 
Tours,  and  the  old  Bastille  of  Loches.  I  attended  the 
Assembly  for  a  day  in  May.  They  carried,  by  an  immense 
majority  the  India  Education  measure,  for  which  Dr.  Bryce 
and  I  contended  almost  alone." 

This  allusion  to  the  India  Education  measure  refers 
to  a  discussion,  which,  had  been  agitating  the  Church 
for  some  time,  as  to  the  lawfulness  of  accepting  for 
mission  schools  the  Government  Grants  in  Aid  while 
these  grants  were  given  equally  to  heathen,  or  at  all 
events  non-Christian,  schools.  The  extreme  '  Evan- 
gelical' party  contended  against  the  Church  condoning 
a  measure  which  they  thought  ought  never  to  have 
been  passed  by  a  Christian  State.  On  the  other 
hand  Norman  Macleod  and  Dr.  Bryce  held  that  it 
was  impossible  for  the  Government  to  take  any  nar- 
rower ground  in  dealing  with  a  country  circum- 
stanced like  India.     They  insisted  that  it  would  be 

E    2 


52  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

the  liciglit  of  folly  in  the  I'hiireh  to  refuse  assistance 
from  GoTemment  in  the  matter  of  secular  instruction, 
as  long  as  she  was  left  free  to  add  religious  teaching ; 
and  they  -were  persuaded  that  to  separate  the  mission 
schools  from  the  educational  system  of  India  was 
simply  to  throw  away  an  opportunity  for  exercising  a 
wide  and  wholesome  influence.  The  vote  of  the 
Assembly  endorsed  their  views,  and  thus  inaugurated 
a  revolution  in  the  policy  of  the  India  Mission  of  the 
Church. 


From  his  Jottrxal. 

"  Glasgow,  August,  1 850. — The  Evangelical  Alliance  met 
here.  I  made  the  first  speech,  bidding  its  ministers  Avelcome. 
I  had  much  happy  communication  with  Sherman,  Willi:im 
Monod,  Krummacher  and  Kuntze  from  Berlin,  and 
Herschell. 

"  I  preached,  on  the  24th,  to  a  great  crowd,  among 
others  to  Mr.  Stanley  who  was  introduced  to  me  by 
John  Shairp."""     In  tlie  evening  we  had  a  prayer  meeting 

•  The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Stanley  (now  Dean  Stanley)  to 
Principal  Shairp,  wi'itten  after  this  visit,  gives  a  graphic  account  of 
the  impressions  he  then  formed  : — 

"  .  .  ,  ,  Campbell  was  a  younger,  thinner,  sharper  man  than  I  had 
expected  to  see — a  thorough  gentleman — very  interesting  evidently 
and  refined  in  thought,  experience,  and  expression.  But  I  thought 
him  almost  too  spiritual,  too  ghostly ;  the  stars  shone  through  him  ; 
he  would  vanish  at  the  cock-crowing.  A  beaiitiful  mind  and  spirit, 
but  too  niueh  ius])hercd  in  its  own  light  to  be  of  much  use  to  me. 

"  And  now  for  the  other.  If  Campbell  was  too  much  of  a 
ghost,  Norman  Macleod  is  iindoubtedly  a  man  of  flesh  and  blood. 
1  first  heard  the  service  and  sernion.  The  sermon  was  on  John  xii. 
'Except  a  corn  of  wheat,' &c.  To  a  fastidious  taste  it  might  have 
been  too  oratorical  in  manner  and  matter ;  but  considering  the 
audience  and  the  tremendous  effort,  I  did  not  object  to  it.  I  thought 
it  admirable,  truly  evan;,'elical,  not  a  word  of  untruth — very  moving 
ifi  parts,  full  of  illustrations,  critical  dilliculties  glanced  at  and  avoided 
in  the  most  judicious  and  yet  honust  fashion.  In  short,  I  don't  know 
the  man  in  the  Chui-ch  of  England  who  could  have  preached  such  a 


1851 — 1856.  53 

for  winding  up  tlie  Scutari  Mission,  which  I  bless  God  to 
have  begun,  carried  on,  and  ended. 

"  October  ^rd. — I  am  just  starting  for  Balmoral.  I 
believe  I  could  not  have  travelled  a  week  sooner,  since  I 
received  the  invitation  the  beginning  of  September  at 
Kirkaldy,  when  I  could  not  turn  in  bed.  I  go  in  Christ's 
name.  He  who  has  given  me  this  work  will  give  me 
grace  to  do  it.  Blessed  and  most  merciful  Lord,  hear  me, 
and  deliver  me  from  all  vanity,  pride,  and  self-seeking, 
and  all  the  nervous  ffear  which  they  occasion !  Give  me 
only  faith  in  Thee,  love  to  Thee,  and  all  will  be  well,  and 
bless  Thy  word  for  immortal  souls,  and  for  the  good 
of  those  to  whom  Thou  hast  given  such  power  in  the 
world  ! 

"  October  8th,  Tuesday. — I  have  just  returned,  and  all 
my  confidence  in  Christ  has  been  vindicated.  I  preached 
on  Sabbath,  my  subject  being  faith  in  a  living,  present, 
divine  Saviour,  the  solution  of  difficulties.  Miss  Nightin- 
gale was  among  my  audience.  I  was  asked  in  the 
evening  to  dine  at  the  Castle.  The  Prince  spoke  much 
to  me. 

"  May  the  Lord  bless  all  this  for  good !  It  is  my 
deepest  and  truest  prayer,  that  all  may  tend  to  His 
glory." 

sermon  ;  nor  do  I  know  siicli  a  man  as  I  found  him  to  be  afterwards  in 
converse,  first  in  the  vestry  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  afterwards 
for  two  hours  here  in  the  evening.  Of  course  I  have  known  men  of 
greater  abilities  and  character,  but,  if  he  be  what  he  seems,  I  know 
no  one  who  unites  such  thorough  good  sense,  honesty,  manly  inde- 
pendence, with  such  working,  stirring,  devout  energy  and  power  of 
appealing  to  the  mass.  How  gladly,  but  that  he  is  better  where  he 
is,  would  I  have  made  him  an  English  bishop.  "We  went  over  many 
fields  together,  and  I  am  sincerely  grateful  to  you  for  having  made 
him  known  to  me. 

"I  asked  him  about  the  Free  Kirk  and  the  Covenanters,  and  he 
charmed  the  cockles  of  my  heart  by  his  answer.  '  The  Free  Kirk  was 
just  an  outburst  of  Presbyterian  Puseyism.'  '  Laud  and  the  Cove- 
nanters were  just  the  same  men  on  different  sides,  except  that  whtt 
one  called  '  church'  the  other  called  '  kirk,'  and  I  am  heartily  glad 
they  eat  each  other  up.  The  Free  Kirk  are  descendants  of  tije 
Covenanters ;  they  pride  themselves  on  being  '  the  Church  of  the 
past.'  That  is  just  what  they  are,  and  I  make  them  a  present  of  it 
with  all  my  heart.'  " 


54 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


Extracts  from  a  private  Note-book  for  1856  : — 

"  How  to  spend  the  morning  hour  from  G  to  7  a.m. 
A  short  prayer  for  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  it  may  be 
wisely  and  profitably  spent.  Devotional  reading — Baxter 
and  Leighton.  Short  meditation  and  prayer  on  what  is 
read,  Avith  reference  to  incUvidual  application.  A  psalm 
sung  quietly.  The  Scriptures  read  m  order,  Avith  thought 
and  devotion.      Prayer." 

From  tis  Journal  : — 

"  As  I  opened  my  shutters  this  morning,  the  crescent 
moon,  clear  and  well  defined,  and  with  a  bright  attendant 
star,  occupied  the  blue  sky  with  hardly  a  cloud.  Of  Avhat 
use  has  that  moon  been  during  the  past  night  !  ]\Iany  a 
pilgrim  has  tracked  his  way  by  her  beams,  and  many  a 
mariner  by  them  has  seen  his  port !  But  the  sun  is 
rising,  and  the  moon  must  depart  hke  the  ]\Iosaic  ritual, 
and  many  an  old  patriarchal  form  of  truth,  before  the 
rising  of  that  Sun  of  Righteousness  Avhose  glory  Avas  all 
their  light." 

"  There  are  men  who  no  more  grasp  the  truth  which 
they  seem  to  hold,  than  a  sparrow  grasps  the  message 
passing  through  the  electric  wire  on  Avhich  it  perches." 

"  I  received  the  foUoAving  ansAA'ers  from  tAvo  intenduig 
communicants,  and  they  illustrate  a  fact  Avhich  has  often 
been  impressed  on  me,  respecting  the  possibility  of  persons 
being  regular  in  church  all  their  lives,  and  yet  rcmainmg 
ignorant  of  the  simplest  truths. 

•'  Who  led  the  children  out  of  Egypt  ?     Eve. 

"  Who  AA-as  Eve  ?     The  mother  of  God. 

"  What  death  did  Christ  die  ?  (Mter  a  long  time) 
Hanged  on  a  tree. 

"  What  did  they  do  with  the  body  ?  Laid  it  in  a 
manger. 

"  What  did  Christ  do  for  sinners  ?      Gave  His  Son. 

"  Any  Avonderful  Avorks  Christ  did  ?  Made  the  luorld 
in  six  days. 


1851  — 1856.  55 

"  Any  others  ?     Buried  Martha,  Mary,  and  Lazarus. 

"  What  became  of  them  afterwards.  Angels  took  them 
to  Ahrahanis  hosovi. 

"  What  had  Christ  to  do  with  that  ?  He  took  Abra- 
ham. 

"  Who  was  Christ  ?      The  Holy  Spirit 

"  Are  you  a  simier  ?     No. 

"  Did  you  never  sin,  and  do  you  love  God  perfectly  ? 
Yes." 

"  NoveTYiher  l\th,  185G. — Both  sciatica  and  work  I  fear 
on  the  increase. 

"  I  feel  the  pressure  and  the  pain.      What  am  I  to  do  ? 

"  1.  Keep  my  temper  and  my  peace  in  God,  the  calm 
of  my  uiner  shrine  where  He  is,  undisturbed  by  the  noise 
of  the  thronging  '  courts  of  the  priests,'  '  of  the  people,' 
'  of  the  women,'  or  '  of  the  gentiles '  without.  This  is  my 
first  duty.  There  never  can  be  a  good  reason  for  my 
losing  inner  peace  with  God.      God  help  me  ! 

"  2.  I  must  by  His  grace  attend  to  details,  and  use  right 
means  to  attain  this  end.  1.  Early  rising,  and  methodical 
division  of  time.  2.  Acceptance  of  no  more  work  than 
can  be  done  in  consistency  with  my  health  and  strength. 
3.  Cultivating  happy,  cheerful  thoughts  of  life,  having  a 
strong  faith  that  God  is  and  Christ  is,  and  that  the  end 
shall  be  glorious  to  every  '  soldier '  who  '  endures  hardness,' 
in  the  grand  campaign. 

"  God  give  me  grace  to  rise  as  I  used  to  do — at  ^  to  G 
— for  it  is  always  hard  to  the  flesh  ! 

"  My  Father,  Thou  laiowest  my  frame  !  Thou  remem- 
berest  I  am  dust.  Thou  carest  for  me.  I  can  therefore 
cast  my  care  on  Thee,  and  so  be  careful  for  nothing. 
Keep  me  in  Thy  peace.  Let  me  ever  honour  Thee  as  the 
best  of  masters  by  obedience  to  Thy  will  in  all  things, 
by  honouring  Thy  laws  whether  relating  to  body  or  mind, 
and  by  doing  all  thmgs  and  accepting  all  things  with  a 
calm  spirit.  Thou  knowest  Thy  servant,  and  under- 
standest  his  thoughts.  Help  me  according  to  Thy  word. 
Amen. 

"I  do   not  wish  to  fly  to  that  blue  sky,  but  by  the 


56  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

help  of  God  Almighty  to  act  a  true  and  brave  part  amidst 
the  smoke  and  mud  and  sin  of  Glasgow. 

"  Lord  forgive  me,  if  I  seem  to  think  I  am  enduring 
hardness  !  God  have  mercy  on  me  for  ever  thinking  my 
lot  has  a  cloud — a  speck  of  hardness  in  it.  ^ly  cup  runs 
over  with  mercies.  I  am  in  the  lap  of  every  indulgence, 
and  if  I  fret,  it  is  as  a  spoiled  child." 


1 


CHAPTEE  XIY. 

1857—1859. 

N  1857  he  began  to  hold  evening  services  for  the 
poor,  to  which  none  were  admitted  except  in 
their  everyday  working  clothes.  The  success  of  a 
similar  experiment,  made  many  years  before  in  Lou- 
doun, encouraged  him  to  make  this  attempt  in  Glas- 
gow, in  the  hope  of  reaching  some  of  those  who,  from 
poverty  or  other  causes,  had  fallen  away  from  all 
church  attendance.  For  the  first  winter,  these  services 
were  held  in  the  Martyrs'  church,  which  was  filled 
every  Sabbath  evening  by  the  very  people  he  wished 
to  get ;  the  following  year  they  were  transferred  to 
the  Baronj^,  where  they  were  continued  till  a  mission 
church  was  built.  It  may  be  safely  asserted  that  this 
work  gave  him  more  interest  than  any  other  he  ever 
undertook  ;  and  that  he  never  addressed  any  audience 
with  greater  effect  than  that  which  he  gathered 
from  '  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city.'  The  pews 
were  filled  with  men  in  their  fustian  jackets  and  with 
poor  women,  bareheaded,  or  with  an  old  shawl  drawn 
over  the  head,  and  dressed  most  of  them  in  short-gown 
and  petticoat.  Unkempt  heads,  faces  begrimed  with 
labour,  and  mothers  with  infants  in  their  arms,  gave  a 


5 8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

strange  character  to  the  scene.  The  police  some- 
times rejiorted  that  several  well-known  thieves  were 
present.  But,  however  large  and  various  the  audience 
might  be,  he  seemed  to  hold  the  key  to  every  heart 
and  conscience ;  and  so  riveted  was  the  attention  he 
secured,  that  not  unfrequently  an  involuntary  excla- 
mation of  surprise  or  sympathy  would  pass  from  lip 
to  lip  over  the  crowd.  The  following  description  of 
one  of  these  evenings  in  the  Barony  is  taken  from  an 
English  newspaper  : — 

"  I  found  I  would  not  be  ndmitted  except  I  was  dressed 
as  a  -worlvino-  man.  The  uniform  of  a  dras^oon  was  offered 
and  accepted,  but  on  second  tliougiits  I  j)referred  the  cast- 
olf  Avorking-dress  of  a  coach-builder — a  dirty  coat,  a  dirty 
white  flannel  vest,  striped  shirt,  red  cravat,  and  Glengarry 
bonnet.  Thus  attired,  I  stood  waiting  among  the  croAvd 
of  poor  men  and  women  that  Avere  shivering  at  the  gate, 
biding  the  time.  Many  of  these  women  were  very  old  and 
very  frail.  The  night  being  excessively  cold,  the  most  of 
them  had  the  skirts  of  their  gowns  tucked  over  their  heads. 
Not  a  few  of  them  had  a  deep  asthmatic  wheezle,  most 
distressing  to  hear.  Poor  souls  !  they  were  earnestly  talk- 
ing about  the  Doctor  and  his  sa3'ings.  I  conversed  with 
several  working  men  who  had  attended  all  the  series  from 
tlie  first,  three  or  four  years  back.  I  asked  one  man 
if  they  were  all  Scotch  who  attended  ?  He  said,  '  All 
nations  ffo  and  hear  the  Doctor.'  Another  said,  '  Highland 
Scotch  and  Lowland  Scotch,  and  English  and  Irish, — in 
fact,  a'  kind  o'  folks  comes  to  the  Doctor  on  Sabbath  nichts.' 
'  A'  body  likes  the  Doctor,'  said  another.  One  man,  a 
labourer,  I  think,  in  a  foundry,  said,  *  He  kent  great  lots 
o'  folk  that's  been  blessed  by  the  Doctor,  baith  Scotch  and 
Irish.  I  ken  an  Irish  Catholic  that  wronglit  wi'  me,  o'  the 
name  o'  Boyd,  and  he  came  ae  nicht  out  o'  curiosity,  and  he 
was  converted  afore  he  raise  from  his  seat,  and  lie's  a  stanch 
Protestant  to  this  day,  every  bit  o'  'im,  tliongh  his  father 
and  mother,  and  a'  his  folks,  are  sair  against  liim  for  't.' 


185/ — 1859-  59 

"  On  the  door  being  opened,  a  sudden  rush  took  place 
in  that  direction.  I  found  a  posse  of  elders  stationed 
as  a  board  of  mspection,  closely  examining  old  and  young, 
male  and  female,  and  turning  back  all  who  had  any  signs 
of  respectability.  All  hats  and  bonnets  were  excluded. 
My  courage  almost  failed  me,  but  as  I  had  from  boy- 
hood been  m  the  habit  of  domg  what  I  could  among 
the  poor,  and  being  so  bent  on  ascertaining  the  '  way '  of 
the  Doctor  with  that  class,  I  resolved  to  make  the  effort. 
My  weakness  arose  from  the  fear  of  detection  by  any  of  the 
elders  I  spoke  to  in  the  forenoon.  Pulling  my  hair  down 
over  my  brow,  and,  in  the  most  slovenly  manner  possible, 
wiping  my  nose  with  the  sleeve  of  my  coat,  I  pushed  my 
way  up  to  the  board,  and  '  passed.'  I  found  that  none  of 
the  seat  cushions,  black,  red,  green,  or  blue,  were  removed  ; 
no,  nor  the  pew  Bil)les  or  Psalm  books,  a  p'jiin  proof  that, 
by  the  test  of.  several  years,  the  poor  of  the  closes  and 
wynds  could  be  trusted.  The  contrast  between  the  forenoon 
and  evening  congregations  m  point  of  appearance  was  very 
great  and  striking;  but  in  regard  to  order  and  decorum 
there  was  no  difterence  whatever.  When  the  time  was 
up,  a  little  boy  was  seen  leading  a  blind  man  along  the 
aisle  towards  the  pulpit.  On  the  boy  placing  the  blind 
man  in  the  precentor's  desk,  a  poor  man  sitting  next  me 
nudcfed  me  on  the  elbow,  and  asked,  '  Is  that  the  man  that's 
to  preech  till  's  ? '  '  Oh,  no  ! '  said  I.  '  You'll  see  the 
Doctor  immediately.'  '  But  surely,'  says  he,  '  that  canna 
be  the  regular  precentor  ? '  '  Oh,  no,'  said  I.  '  This  man, 
I  suspect,  is  the  precentor  for  us  poor  folks.'  Here  the 
Doctor — stout,  tall,  and  burly — was  seen  ascending  the 
pulpit  stairs.  He  began  by  prayer.  He  then  gave  out 
the  130th  Psalm  for  praise.  Before  singing,  he  com- 
mented at  great  length  on  the  character  and  spirit  of  the 
Psalm,  dwelling  very  fully  on  the  first  line,  '  Lord,  from  tlio 
depths  to  thee  I  cried  ! '  Nothing  could  have  been  better 
adapted  for  his  auditory  than  the  Doctor's  consolatory  ex- 
position of  that  Psalm.  The  precentor  by  this  time  had 
got  very  uneasy,  and  had  several  times  struck  his  pitch- 
fork, and  was  ready  to  start,  but  the  Doctor,  being  so  full, 
and  having  still  this,  that,  and  the  other  thing  to  say,  he 


6o  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

could  not  commence.  At  last,  the  Doctor  looking  kindly 
down  upon  him,  said,  'You'll  rise  now,  Peter,  and  begin.* 
He  rose,  and  began.  He,  tracing  the  lines  with  his  fingers 
on  his  ponderous  Psalm  book  of  raised  letters,  '  gave  out 
the  lines,'  two  at  a  time.  It  was  a  most  gratifying  spectacle, 
and  said  much  for  the  advance  of  Christian  civihsation.  The 
Doctor  next  read  the  first  chapter  of  the  first  epistle  of  Paul 
to  the  Thessalonians.  The  commentary  on  the  chapter  was 
most  strikingly  effective  in  point  of  consolatory  and  prac- 
tical application  to  the  condition  of  his  auditory.  In  refer- 
ring to  the  mother  and  grandmother  of  Timothy,  he  made 
a  grand  stand  for  character,  which  made  the  poor  man 
next  to  me  strike  the  floor  several  times  with  his  feet  by 
way  of  testifying  his  approbation.  Had  the  Doctor's 
remarks  on  the  subject  been  delivered  from  a  platfonn, 
they  would  have  elicited  thunders  of  applause.  He  said 
the  most  valuable  thing  Prince  Albert  left  was  character.* 
He  knew  perfectly  well  that  very  many  very  poor  people 
thought  that  it  Avas  impossible  for  them  to  have  a  character. 
It  was  not  true ;  he  would  not  hear  of  it.  There  was  not 
a  man  nor  a  Avoman  before  him,  hoAvever  poor  they  might 
be,  but  had  it  in  their  poAver,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to 
leave  behind  theni  the  grandest  thing  on  earth,  character ; 
and  their  children  may  rise  up  after  them,  and  thank  God 
that  their  mother  was  a  pious  AA'oman,  or  their  father  a 
pious  man.  The  text  selected  was  1  Timothy  vi.  1 2 — 1 4. 
The  discourse  Avas  very  plain,  explicit,  pointed,  and  amply 
illustrated,  as  by  one  Avho  knew  all  the  '  outs  and  ins,' 
difficulties  and  trials  of  the  people  before  him,  and  they 
listened  Avith  breathless  attention,  and  appeared  to  drink 
in  all  he  said,  as  indeed  '  good  AA^ords '  for  them.  Some  of 
the  children-in-arms  sometimes  broke  the  silence  by  their 
prattle  or  their  screams,  but  the  doctor,  though  uncom- 
monly sensitive,  never  appeared  the  least  put  about." 

The  results  of  these  services  were  remarkable. 
Many  hundreds  were  reclaimed  from  laAvless  habits, 
some  of  the  more  ignorant  were  educated,  and  a  largo 

*  This  description  was  written  in  1861, 


i8s7 — 1859.  61 

nnmber  became  commimicants.  There  was  a  nobilit}'- 
of  character  displayed  by  several  of  these  working 
men  which  moved  him  to  tears  as  he  spoke  of  them, 
and  gave  him  a  deeper  love  than  ever  for  the  poor. 
Some  of  them  took  ways  of  showing  their  gratitude, 
the  very  oddity  of  which  gave  touching  evidence  of 
the  depth  of  the  feeling.* 

His  method  of  instruction  was  admirably  adapted 
to  the  character  of  his  audience.  He  was  never  ab- 
stract, but  threw  his  teaching  into  objective  or  descrip- 
tive form,  and  not  seldom  dramatized  the  lesson  he  was 
enforcing.  His  counsel  was  not  confined  to  things 
spiritual,  but  embraced  such  practical  matters  as  the 
sanitary  condition  of  the  houses  of  the  poor,  healthy 
food,  and  the  treatment  of  children,  and  was  given  so 
forcibly  that  the  meanest  intelligence  could  understand 
the  rationale  of  his  advice.  His  unaffected  sympathy 
with  the  poor  and  ignorant  in  all  their  wants  and 
difficulties  was  the  secret  of  his  power  over  them. 
His  frankness  and  large  human-heartedness  com- 
manded their  confidence  and  won  their  affection. 

"March  15,  1857. — I  began,  four  weeks  ago,  my  sermon 
to  working  men  and  women  in  their  working  clothes,  on 
my  old  Loudoun  plan,  of  excluding  all  who  had  clothes  fit  for 
church  by  day.  And  by  God's  great  mercy  I  have  crammed 
the  Martyrs'  Church  with  such.  I  never  experienced  more 
joy  than  in  this  service.  It  is  grand.  I  do  not  envy 
Wellington  at  Waterloo. 

*  I  remember  on  a  Sunday  evening  returning  wltli  him,  after  one 
of  these  services,  to  our  father's  house.  When  the  cab^  stopped,  a 
rough  hand  was  pushed  in  at  the  window.  Norman  understood  what 
was  meant,  and  on  taking  what  was  offered,  received  a  wann  grasp 
from  some  unknown  working  man,  who  had  come  from  the  Barony 
church,  a  mile  away,  to  express  by  this  act  more  thankfulness  than 
he  could  find  words  to  utter. 


62  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  I  have  just  piiblislicd  '  Deborah,'  a  book  for  sen^ants. 
"\Miat  is  written  witli  a  sin^-le  eve,  and  seekinsf  God's  blessingf. 
must,  I  think,  do  such  good  as  will  vindicate  tlie  publication. 
We  shall  see. 

''  Siimhiy,  29. — On  the  ]\ronday  after  the  former  journal 
I  was  seized  with  dreadful  neuralgia  (as  it  was  called).  I 
spent  the  night  in  my  study  ;  on  the  floor,  sofa,  chair — any- 
where for  rest.  It  left  me  Tuesday,  and  then  till  Sunday 
I  suffered  several  hours  each  day,  the  only  agony  I 
ever  experienced.  I  spent  another  terrible  night.  Sun- 
day last  I  v.-as  in  bed.  Since  then  I  have  been  confined 
to  the  house,  but,  thank  God,  feel  able  to  preach  this  after- 
noon and  evening,  though  I  have  been  writing  with  much 
sense  of  weakness  of  body.  Then  scarlet  fever  attacked 
my  beloved  boy  on  Tuesday.  But  oh !  the  awful  mercy 
of  God  to  me,  he  has  had  it  as  yet  most  gently.  "Was  I 
sincere  when  I  gave  Kim  up,  all  up  to  God  last  wcok  ? 
I  hope  so.  As  far  as  I  know,  I  desire  Jesus  to  choose 
for  me  ;  and,  as  far  as  I  know,  there  is  nothing  could 
make  me  alter  that  calm  resolution  ;  but,  as  far  as  I  know, 
there  is  also  no  man  whose  flesh  winces  more  under  fear 
of  affliction,  or  who  would  more  require  the  mighty  power 
of  God  to  keep  him  from  open  rebellion.  Amidst  all  con- 
fusion, darlaiess,  doubts,  fears,  there  is  ever  one  liq^ht,  one 
life,  one  all — Jesus,  the  living  personal  Saviour!" 

'With  the  desire  of  promoting  increased  life  in  the 
Church,  he  wrote  a  series  of  articles  in  the  Edin- 
liirrjh  Christian  Magazine^  in  which  he  proposed  the 
formation  of  a  Church  Union  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
cussing questions  connected  with  practical  work,  and 
for  earnest  prayer  for  the  outpouring  of  God's  Spirit. 
He  believed  that  there  were  many  ministers  and 
laymen  •s^'lio  were  mourning  in  secret  over  faults  in 
the  Church  which  were  a  continual  burden  to  his 
own  soul ;  and  that  the  best  results  might  be  ex- 
pected if  such  men  were  only  brought  together  for 


i857 — 1859-  63 

conference  and  prayer.  The  state  of  the  Church 
seemed  to  call  for  some  such  movement.  'AYliat 
most  alarms  me  is  that  we  are  not  alarmed.  What 
most  pains  me  is  that  we  are  not  pained.'  '  Whether 
we  are  the  Church  of  the  past,  or  the  true  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Second  Eeformation,  or  any  other 
reformation,  is  to  us  a  question  of  comj)aratively  little 
importance ;  but  it  is  of  infinite  importance  that  we 
be  the  Church  of  the  present,  and  thereby  become 
the  Church  of  the  future.  Let  the  dead  bury  theu' 
dead,  but  let  us  follow  Christ  and  be  fellow-labourers 
with  Him  in  this  world.' 

After  several  preliminary  meetings,  the  Union  was 
formed,  but  it  existed  only  two  years,  and  the  only 
memorial  of  it  now  remaining  is  to  be  found  in  the 
missionary  breakfast,  which  is  held  during  every 
General  Assembly. 


From  his  Joubxal  : — 

"  The  second  meetinof  of  the  Union  is  to-morrow.  I 
have  prayed  often  that  out  of  that  weakness  God  may 
ordain  strength,  to  aid  my  dear  but  sore-wounded  and 
suffering  Church  ;  but,  best  of  all,  to  help  His  Church,  by 
saving  souls  and  unitiuof  saints, 

"  April  11,  12  P.M. — Sunday  last  I  finished  my  winter's 
course  in  the  Martyrs'  Church,  and  invited  all  who  wished 
to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper  to  intimate  their  wishes 
to  me  on  Tuesday  in  the  vestry.  On  Tuesda}''  evening 
seventy-six  came  for  communion  !  Of  these  forty-seven 
had  never  communicated  before.  Fifty-two  were  females  ; 
twenty-five  males.  I  never  saw  such  a  sight,  nor  exj)eri- 
enced  such  unmixed  joy,  for  all  had  come  because  blessed 
through  the  Word,  and  a  great  majority  seemed  to  me  to 
have  been  truly  converted.     Bless  the  Lord  !     To-morrow, 


6+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

please  God,  I  shall  give  them  the  Commiir,ion  in  their 
worlving  clothes  at  five  in  the  church. 

"  I  am  persuaded  that  to  succeed  in  doing  permanent 
good  to  such  it  is  necessary  (1)  To  preach  regularly  and 
systematically  (with  heart,  soul,  and  strength  though !). 
(2)  To  exclude  well-dressed  people.  (3)  To  keep  out  of 
newspapers  and  off  platforms,  and  avoid  fuss.  (4)  To 
develop  self-reliance.  (5)  To  give  Communion  on  credit- 
able profession,  as  the  apostles  admitted  to  the  Church, 
and  then  to  gather  up  results,  and  bring  the  converts  into 
a  society.  (6)  To  follow  up  by  visitation,  stimulating 
themselves  to  collect  for  clothes, 

"  Tuesday,  1  ^th. — What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for 
all  His  benefits  ? 

"  Sabbath  was  a  day  of  peace  and  joy,  and  my  sermon 
on  '  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory,  &c.,'  preached  in  great 
peace  by  me — and  I  believe  found  most  profitable  by  my 
dear  people.  How  could  I  convey  to  any  other  the 
profound  and  undying  conviction  I  have  of  God  being 
verily  a  hearer  of  prayer  and  a  personal  God  ?  Whatever 
arguments  were  capable  of  shaking  my  faith  in  this,  would 
shake  my  faith  in  God.  I  gave  the  Communion  to  sixty- 
seven  working  people  in  their  working  clothes.  Having 
kept  ray  intention  secret,  as  I  was  terrified  for  fuss  and  a 
spectacle,  none  were  present  but  the  elders.  I  went 
through  the  regular  service,  occupjHng  about  seventy 
minutes.  The  Avhole  scene  was  very  solemn,  very  touching. 
I  believe  all  were  sincere. 

"  But  now  comes  the  great  work  of  training  them  to 
habits  of  self-reliance  and  self-denial.  I  shall  watch  and 
labour,  and  before  God  shall  tell  the  truth  of  my  results. 
Failure  may  teach  us  as  well  as  success.  If  I  fail,  then  I 
will  set  a  buoy  on  my  wreck  to  warn  others  from  the 
rock,  but  not  from  the  harbour.  My  new  elders  were 
with  me — God  bless  them  ! 

"  Last  evening  all  was  ended  with  a  prayer  meeting  of 
the  Union,  I  in  the  chair.  My  good  and  valued  friends, 
William  Robertson  and  Smith  of  Lauder,  with  me,  also 
dear  James  Campbell. 

"  Then  prayer  and  thanksgiving  alone  with  my  beloved 


1857—1859-  6s 

wife  for  the  end  of  these  five  weeks  since  the  night  I 
sprang  up  in  agony  and  spent  a  night  of  great  pain  in  this 
room — my  study !     T.  9.  A. 

"  May. — I  go  to  London  this  evening  to  speak  for 
Tract  Society,  I  preach  twice  for  Herschell.  On  Monday, 
for  the  London  Missionary  Society  ;  then  home,  dear  home  ! 
And  now.  Father,  I  go  forth  again  in  Thy  name,  and  desire 
to  be  kept  true,  humble,  and  unselfish  :  seeking  Thy  glory 
and  Thy  favour,  which  verily  is  life  !     Amen,  and  Amen. 

"  May  17. — I  have  returned,  and  give  thanks  to  God  ! 
I  spoke  on  Friday  evening — very  lamely  indeed — for  I 
was  made  so  uncomfortable  by  a  narrow  and  vulgar  attack 

by on ;    and   then  by    as    narrow  and    more 

vulgar  attack  by on  modern  novels.     I  had  to  stick 

up  for  Jack  the  Giant  Killer.  I  think  I  shall  never  enter 
Exeter  Hall  again  on  such  occasions.  The  atmosphere  is 
too  muggy  for  my  lungs." 

The  year  1857  was  notable  in  his  own  spiritual 
history.  He  was  attacked  by  an  illness  which  for  a 
time  gave  his  medical  advisers  considerable  anxiety, 
and  was  attended  with  such  pain,  that  he  had  fre- 
quently to  pass  the  greater  part  of  the  night  in  his 
chair;  yet,  during  the  day,  when  the  suffering  had 
abated,  he  was  generally  at  his  post  of  labour  in  the 
parish.  For  a  while  he  took  the  worst  view  of  his  own 
case,  but  anticipated  its  issue  with  calmness.  An 
autumn  tour,  however,  in  Switzerland,  in  which  he  was 
accompanied  by  his  wife,  and  by  his  valued  friends, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Campbell,  in  a  great  measure 
restored  him.  But,  shortly  after  his  return,  Mrs.  Mac- 
leod  was  laid  prostrate  by  typhoid  fever,  which  ren- 
dered her  delirious  for  several  weeks,  and  reduced  her 
to  so  critical  a  condition  that  on  several  occasions 
her  life  was  despaired  of.      He  recognised  the  solemn 

VOL.    II.  p 


66  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

teaching  which  tlicse  clays  of  terrible  suspense  con- 
tained, and  his  journals  record  the  mental  agony  he 
passed  through,  as  he  tried  to  render  willing  obedi- 
ence to  his  Father's  will.  It  seemed  a  period  when 
all  the  lessons  of  his  past  life — all  his  O'wti  sermons 
and  teaching  to  others — all  he  had  kno-^Ti  of  God  and 
of  the  nature  of  Christian  life  as  a  life  of  Sonship — 
were  gathered  into  one  decisive  question  for  his  own 
soul.  He  literally  wrestled  in  praj^er,  and  fought 
inch  by  inch  against  self-will,  until  he  was  able  to 
say,  in  peaceful  submission,  'Thy  will  be  done.' 
The  effects  of  this  time  were  immediate  and  enduring. 
He  lived  henceforth  more  entirely  for  God,  and  became 
much  more  tender,  considerate,  and  patient  towards 
others  than  he  had  ever  been.  There  was  no  lessen- 
ing of  the  old  joj'ousness  and  genial  humour;  but 
he  seemed  to  care  less  for  the  opinions  of  men,  and 
looked  more  than  ever  to  God  alone. 

It  may  now  appear  that  the  experience  of  this 
epoch  in  his  life  was  as  opportune  as  it  was  powerful. 
It  came  when  he  was  about  to  enter  a  wider  sphere 
of  influence  than  he  had  hitherto  occupied,  and  to 
encounter  greater  difficulties  than  those  with  which 
his  past  career  had  made  him  familiar.  It  was  well, 
therefore,  that  his  character  should  have  been  forti- 
fied, as  it  was  at  this  period,  to  withstand  the  shock 
of  conflicting  opinions  ;  and  that,  having  been  thrown 
so  completely  on  God,  he  was  able  henceforth  to  be 
freer  than  ever  of  the  influence  of  parties  and  their 
leaders. 

"  June  4. — For  some  days  I  have  felt  pain,  and  feared  the 
return  of  iny  complaint.    I  have  seen  Dr.  Laurie.     I  know 


1857— 1859.  67 

it  to  be  very  serious,  and  I  feel  now  how  this  may  he  the 
beginning  of  the  end. 

"  Yet  how  awing  is  the  thought  of  the  gift  of  life 
being  rendered  up  !  The  opportunities  of  receiving  and 
doing  good  here  gone  for  ever  ;  pain  to  be  encountered,  and 
then  the  great  secret  revealed  !  But  every  question  is 
stilled,  every  doubt  ansAvered,  all  good  secured,  in  and 
through  faith  in  the  name  of  Father,  Son  (Brother),  and 
Comforter  ! 

"  Oh,  God,  enable  me  to  be  brave,  unselfish,  cheerful, 
patient,  because  trusting  Thee  ! 

"  Evening. — I  feel  a  crisis  in  my  illness  is  passed.  0  my 
God,  let  not  two  such  days  of  thought  be  lost  to  me,  as 
those  occasioned  last  month  by  my  mistaken  fears  about 
myself." 

To  J.  G.  Hamilton,  Esq.  : — 

Craigie  Btjen,  Moffat,  JuJ^  Wi. 

"  Here  I  am,  like  a  blackbird  reposing  in  my  nest  in  a 
green  wood,  beside  a  burn,  surrounded  by  pastoral 
hills,  musical  with  bleating  sheep  and  shadowy  with 
clouds.  My  chicks  all  about  me,  some  chirping,  some 
singing,  all  gaping  for  food,  with  my  lady  blackbird  perched 
beside  me,  her  glossy  plumage  glittering  in  the  sun,  a  per- 
fect sermon  on  contentment. 

*'  Blackbirds  put  me  in  mind  of  hills,  and  bills  of  money, 
and  money  of  those  who  need  it,  and  then  of  those  who 
are  willing  to  give  it,  and  that  brings  me  to  you.  It  is 
not  for  schools,  churches,  or  schemes  but  for  charity  to 
help  a  needy  gentlewoman 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  my  complaint  has  not  left  me. 
I  had  a  learned  consultation  in  London  with  the  great 
authority  in  such  cases.  He  has  put  me  on  a  regimen  so 
strict  that  it  would  make  a  hermit's  cell  almost  comfort- 
able ;  and  he  commands  rest.  But  this  I  cannot  command 
for  a  month  yet." 

From  his  Journal  : — 

"December. — I  am  alone,  with  nothing  to  oocupy  me 
but  my  own  thoughts,  and  come   what  may,  perhaps  it 

F  2 


68  LIFE   OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

may  help  on  God's  work  in  my  soul  if  I  try  to  express 
even  in  a  very  inadequate  and  crude  way  the  solemn  crisis 
through  which  I  am  now  passing. 

"  Wednesday  night  my  beloved  one  became  so  alarm- 
ingly ill  that  I  lost  all  hope.  The  night  was  a  memorable 
one  to  me.     It  was  one  of  those  awful  soul  struir?les  be- 

CO 

tween  life  in  God  and  the  creature,  which  seem  to  compress 
the  history  of  years  into  minutes.  The  only  thing  that 
gave  me  light  was  the  one  thought  of  doing  God's  will, 
and  it  did  seem  to  me  right,  beautiful,  good,  that  it  should 
be  done  in  any  way.  I  was  able  to  look  up  to  my  Father 
and  say,  '  Thy  will,  not  mine.'  But  oh!  oh!  the  struggle 
now  !  To  be  v/illing  in  truth,  to  bury  my  life  out  of  sight, 
how  hard  !  To  have  my  true  life  in  God  alone — im- 
j)ossible !  I  am  supported,  I  think  (dear  God,  pity  me  !) 
I  can  say  '  Thy  will,  not  mine  ! '  But  to  do  this  truly  ; 
to  do  it  always  ;  to  do  it  in  all  things  ;  to  hang  loose  from 
life  to  all  but  Thee  !  0  my  Father,  helj)  me,  teach 
me,  for  I  desire  faith  and  patience  to  have  their  perfect 
work.  I  desire  to  be  made  Thine  wholh'',  and  to  learn 
obedience  and  meekness  as  a  son ;  but  0  God,  my  Father, 
uphold  me  under  Thy  loving,  but  sore  and  necessary 
dealing.  If  she  is  taken  away  !  If  she  is  spared  !  *  Lord, 
into  Thy  hand  I  commit  my  spirit,'  as  unto  a  faithful 
Creator.     Glorify  Thy  name  I 

"  My  Father,  I  lie  at  Thy  feet,  and  desire  to  be  led 
as  a  child,  and  to  follow  Jesus — to  die  with  Him.  Yet 
lead  me  not  into  deeper  trial  lest  I  perish.  Yet,  Amen — 
Amen — I  trust  in  Thee  !  In  the  depths,  in  darkness,  I 
trust  in  Thee.  God  forgive  my  fears ;  Thou  rememberest 
I  am  dust." 

To  liis  Sister  Jake  : — 

22ntZ  November. 

"  The  nervous,  distracted  outward  man  is  one,  and  the 
inner  rest  in  God  belongs  to  another  being.  They  both 
sadly  cross.  But  my  faith  is  not  shaken  in  Him.  May  it 
be  found  to  His  glory  at  His  appearing." 

"  This  is  a  quiet,  peaceful  day.  Without — wind,  rain, 
mist.     Within — peace. 


i857 — 1859.  69 

*'  All  tliat  man  can  do  for  her  is  done.  She  is  watched 
every  hour,  and  I  am  told  there  is  hope,  and  that  it  is  a 
mere  question  of  time.  Can  the  vessel  weather  the  long 
storm  ? 

"  The  mental  history  of  this  time  to  me  is  unparalleled. 
First  the  awful  nervousness ;  then  the  soul  battle,  then 
the  peace  ;  the  doubts,  fears,  agonies  !  and  this  day  peace 
— perfect  peace." 

From  his  JOURNAL  : — 

"  Beloved  John  Campbell  and  Dr.  Macduff  have  been  a 
great  strength  and  stay. 

"  It  is  hard  to  describe  my  feelings.  I  now  hope,  yet 
fear  lest  for  one  moment  I  should  be  kept  off  the  one  life, 
the  living  God !  I  have  resigned  her  into  His  hands. 
I  know  He  will  prepare  me,  for  I  desire  first  (as  far 
as  I  know)  that  His  kingdom  shall  come  in  me  and  by 
me.  Then,  on  the  other  hand,  should  she  be  given  back  ! 
A  solemn  battle  has  then  to  be  fought  whether  or  not  I 
shall  attempt  to  relraild  my  house  or  die  daily.  I  feel 
that  God's  grace  will  be  required  just  as  much  for  me  it 
the  precious  gift  is  restored  as  if  taken  away. 

"  Lord,  undertake  for  us.  Thou  seest  our  strength  is 
gone.     We  lean  on  Thee,  mighty  and  merciful  one." 

To  tis  Sister  Jane  : — 

"  Saturday  night  and  Sunday  morning  was  my  third 
burial  of  her.  I  gave  her  up  again,  and  the  third  was 
more  than  the  first.  God  alone  knows  what  such  a  night 
is.  Yet  His  grace  has  been  more  than  sufficient,  and  I 
hope  I  have  been  taught  what  years  have  failed  to  do. 

"  You  see,  dear,  what  a  trying  time  it  is,  and  you  cannot 
wonder  if  the  tension  of  the  brain  should  make  mine 
very  hot  at  times. 

"  Everything  is  confusion — night  and  day  mingled." 

From  his  Journal  : — 

"  Thursday. — All  going  on  well. 

"  I  hardly  know  what  I  think.     The  apparent  actual 


70  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

return  to  health  does  not  at  all  affect  me  as  its  hopes  did, 
for  these  quite  convulsed  me,  while  the  reality  only  affects 
me  by  producing  a  sense  of  deep  calm  and  thanksgiving. 

"  Certainly  this  has  been  without  comparison  the  most 
solemn  period  of  my  life.  Never  have  I  so  realised  son-ow. 
I  am  anxious  to  gather  up  the  fragments  in  any  manner, 
however  confused.  I  should  like,  if  possible,  to  meet  and 
sympathize  with  God  in  His  teaching,  lest  it  he  lost — to 
understand  what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is,  and  what  is  His 
loving  kindness. 

"God  Avas  teacliing  me  (1)  where  my  true  life  ought 
to  be — ^in  Him,  and  in  Him  only.  (2)  The  sufficiency  of 
His  grace,  to  support  and  give  peace  in  the  most  trying 
hour.  (3)  How  beautiful  His  will  is — how  right  it  is 
that  His  glory  should  be  the  grand  end  of  creation,  and 
the  sole  ambition  of  the  spuit  of  man.  (4)  How  I  de- 
served to  be,  not  chastised,  but  punished  for  sin  ;  and 
how  hard  it  was  for  one  who  trusted  in  '  riches '  to  enter 
into  the  kmgdom,  or  to  sell  all  and  follow  Him ! 

"  But  my  comforting  thoughts  were — 

"  (1)  God's  glory.  What  w\as  right  and  beautiful  in 
His  sight  was  often  very  consohng.  (2)  That  Jesus  was 
in  the  house,  and  saw  all,  planned  all,  and  would  do  all 
most  tenderly,  lovingly,  and  Avisely.  (3)  That  there  was 
no  depth  to  which  He  had  not  descended.  If  I  made  my 
bed  in  hell.  He  was  there.  I  was  much  touched  by  the 
22nd  Psalm,  in  which,  after  uttering  His  own  deep  sorrow 
('  My  God,'  &c.)  and  recounting  how  our  fathers  had  trusted 
God,  He  says,  'But  I  am  a  worm,  and  no  man  !'  Think 
of  that !  As  if  His  case  was  too  desperate.  (4)  That 
patience  must  have  her  perfect  work,  and  that  faith  must 
be  tried  and  found  precious.  (5)  That  God  wished  me  as 
a  child  to  open  my  whole  heart  and  tell  Him  everything. 
When  David  was  told  by  Nathan  that  his  child  should  die, 
he  still  prayed  to  God  for  its  recovery.  'I  doubt  not,' 
says  Hall  so  beautifully,  '  God  His  Father  took  it  kindly.' 
(C)  That  God  was  feeling  keenly  for  me,  even  when  afflict- 
ing me.  As  I  heard  of  a  father  Avho  used  to  suffer  agony 
in  dressing  the  wounds  of  his  child  ;  yet  his  love  alone 
enabled  liim  to  do  it,  while  putting  her  to  so  much  pain. 


1857—1859-  7' 

"  I  have  met  extraordinary  and  wondrous  symj^athy ;  it 
utterly  amazes  me,  and  has  given  me  a  new  and  most 
touching  view  of  my  neighbour.  Hundreds  called  to  read 
the  daily  bulletin  which  I  was  obliged  to  put  up.  But 
everyAvhere  it  was  the  same.  Free -Church  people  and 
people  of  all  Churches  called ;  men  I  never  spoke  to 
stopped  me  ;  cab-drivers,  bus-drivers,  working  men  in  the 
streets  asked  after  her  with  such  feeling.  I  have  heard 
of  ministers  in  Edinburgh  praying  in  public  for  us.  I 
pray  God  this  may  be  a  lesson  for  life  to  make  me  most 
tender,  meek,  kind,  and  charitable  to  all  men.  0  God, 
keep  my  heart  soft  towards  my  brethren  of  mankind.  I 
never  could  have  believed  in  such  unselfishness.  And  so 
I  have  felt  its  good,  for  my  heart  warms  to  all  good  men 
more  than  ever,  and  more  deeply  do  I  hate  and  loathe 
sectarianism. 

"  I  have  had  inexpressibly  solemn  teaching  from  my  own 
sermons.  How  solemnly  have  they  preached  to  me  !  Such 
as  the  first,  on  '  Raising  of  Lazarus,'  *  and  my  article 
written,  without  thought  of  this  sorrow,  for  the  December 
number  of  the  Christian  Magazine.  O  my  Father,  I 
desire  to  learn  to  speak  with  deep  awe  and  modesty,  as  one 
to  whom  Thou  mayest  address  his  own  words. 

"  The  difference  between  preaching  and  knowing  by  ex- 
perience in  affliction,  is  as  great  as  between  being  a  soldier 
in  peace  and  fighting  at  reviews,  and  a  soldier  in  war  and 
actual  battle. 

"  How  awful  the  trial  is  of  even  the  hope  of  returning 
'  prosperity.'  It  is  not — Oh  no  ! — as  if  my  Father  grudged 
to  make  me  happy,  or  as  if  affliction  was  His  rule,  and  not 
His  strange  work  ;  but  I  know  that  in  His  love  he  has 
been  designing  good  for  me — life,  and  life  more  abun- 
dantly ;  that  to  produce  this  He  has  sent  sorrow ;  that 
His  purpose  has  not  been  hid  from  me,  but  that  I  have 
seen  it  and  approved  of  its  righteousness ;  and  that  in 
answer  to  prayers,  many  and  fervent,  from  His  people, 
who  desired  first  that  He  should  be  glorified.  He  has  been 
pleased  to  remove  (in  hope  as  yet)  this  great  sorrow.      I 

*  Afterwards  published  under  the  title,  "  The  Mystery  of  Sorrow," 
in  "  Parish  Papers." 


72  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

feel  it  will  be  a  terrible  loss,  an  abuse  of  God's  grace, 
a  receiving  of  it  in  allliction  in  vain,  unless  my  life  is  re- 
baptized,  our  relationship  far  more  inner  and  spiritual,  and 
our  walk  more  in  the  light  of  heaven.  I  have  Ijeen  called 
to  a  higher,  purer,  nobler  life.  I  have  had  three  burials 
of  her,  and  on  each  occasion  Jesus  seemed  to  say,  '  Lovest 
thou  me  more  than  her  ? '  and  thrice  he  has  given  her 
back,  but  with  the  awful  reservation,  '  FoUow  thou  me,' 
'  Feed  my  sheep.'  And  now  I  feel  God's  grace  is  required 
for  each  day  ;  for  what  should  my  future  Ufe  be  ?  not  an 
occasional  funeral,  but  a  daily  dying ! 

"  0  God  omnipotent !  let  Thy  strength  be  perfected  in 
my  weakness." 

"Friday. — I  am  still  full  of  anxiety,  and  feel  the  rod 
yet  on  me.  Father,  let  patience  have  her  perfect  work, 
and  prepare  me  to  meet  as  a  child  all  the  changes  of  Thy 
providence.  Remember  I  am  dust,  and  help  me  according 
to  the  riches  of  thy  grace  ! 

"  The  same.    My  hope  is  in  Tliee — in  Thee  only.     God 

sustain.      Undertake  for  me,  my  Father  ! 

-:-  %  -Vr  -j;-  ■»  -K- 

"  The  Doctor  has  just  left  me,  and  he  says,  '  Well,  I 
think  all  is  safe.'  This  I  have  been  hoping  for  during  the 
last  week.     With  what  feelings  do  I  receive  the  news  ? 

"What  means  this?  I  have  never  shed  a  tear  of  joy. 
I  who  was  Avrung  with  grief,  and  could  not,  in  prospect, 
bear  the  light  of  deliverance — who  was  crushed  by  the  bare 
idea,  '  maybe  she  will  yet  get  better  ! '  Yet  I  have  never 
felt  a  throb,  or  the  least  of  that  excitement  or  tumult  or 
leap  of  the  heart  which  would  seem  so  natural.  Where- 
fore ?  I  really  know  not.  Is  it  the  body,  and  collapse 
from  over  excitement  ?  The  Lord  knoweth  !  But  I  shall 
not  work  myself  n^  to  an  outward  form  of  what  might 
seem  to  be  the  ridit  thing,  but  seek  to  be  led  by  God 
into  that  state  of  spirit  which  is  becoming  in  His  sight. 
I  feel  as  in  a  dream. 

"Monday,  21st. — This  day  Sir  George  Grey  informs  me 
I  am  made  a  Chaplain  to  the  Queen." 


1857—1859.  73 

To  Mr.  Waddell  (a  Member  of  the  Session,  on  the  death  of  his  eldest 
child)  :— 

Saturday,  \2tli  Dec,  1857. 

"I  most  deeply  feel  with  you,  my  afflicted  brother. 
God  will  enable  you  by-and-by,  if  not  in  the  first  dark- 
ness of  the  affliction,  to  know  that  it  is  a  Father  who  sends 
the  trial ;  and  from  your  own  tender  love  to  your  child  you 
can  in  some  degree  realise  the  deep  mystery  of  a  Father's 
love  to  yourselves,  and  in  your  own  hearts  see  a  dim  reflec- 
tion of  that  love  which  passeth  all  understanding.  You  will 
remember,  too,  with  new  feelings,  how  His  own  well-beloved 
Son  was  a  man  of  sorrows,  how  (see  the  22nd  Psalm)  there 
was  no  depth  but  He  Himself  was  in  a  loAver ;  how  He  is 
thus  able  to  carry  our  burdens,  understand  us,  feel  for  us 
and  with  us  as  a  brother.  You  will  be  taught  also  how 
God  is  seeking  our  whole  hearts,  and  will  put  us  to  pain 
even  at  the  moment  of  our  greatest  earthly  happiness,  just 
because  it  is  then  we  are  most  apt  to  forsake  Him  as  our 
eternal  life,  and  to  seek  life  in  the  creature.  Nay,  He  will 
teach  you  to  see  how  deep  and  true  that  love  is  which  will 
give  pain  to  those  dearly  loved  in  order  that  they  shall 
not  lose  a  full  blessing,  but  see  life  more  abundantly. 

"  I  feel  assured  that  God  is  dealing  towards  you  in  great 
love,  though  it  is  hard  to  see  it  at  first,  and  most  trying  to 
flesh  and  blood  to  say  Amen  to  this  discipline  by  the  cross. 
But  do  not  go  away  sorrowful  from  Him !  Hold  fast  your 
confidence.  His  purpose  is  mercy,  and  good.  Seek  first 
of  all,  that  His  w^ill  should  be  done  in  you,  His  purpose 
of  good  be  realised  by  you.  Your  child  is  certainly 
■\vith  One  Who  is  more  gentle,  tender,  and  lovinsf  than  a 
mother — One  Who  was  a  child.  Who  knows  a  child's  heart, 
Who  was  in  a  mother's  arms.  Your  babe  will  be  trained 
up  in  a  glorious  school ;  when  you  meet  she  will  be  a  fit 
companion  for  you,  and  rejoice  with  you  for  ever. 

"  I  have  myself  during  these  four  weeks  endured  the 
greatest  sorrow  I  ever  experienced  in  life.  I  twice  gave  up 
my  beloved  wife  to  the  Lord.  I  can  witness  to  you  of  the 
power  of  God's  grace  to  give  peace  in  the  darkest  hour, 
and  of  how  affliction  is  indeed  sent  for  our  'profit,'  that 
we  might  be  partakers  of  His  holiness." 


7+  LIFE  OF  NORxMAN  MACLEOD. 

From  his  Journal  : — 

''March  15,  1858. — It  is  this  day  twenty  years  ago 
that  I  Avas  ordained  minister  of  Loudoun  !  I  bless  God 
for  caUing  me  to  the  ministry  as  He  did  my  father  and 
grandfather  before  me,  and  for  giving  me  a  place  in  my 
nation's  Church.  Donald  is  to  be  ordained  on  Thursday, 
and  I  introduce  him  on  Sunday." 

To  the  Eev.  W.  F.  Sxea'ENSON  (on  his  recovery  from  fever)  : — 

March  2Ath,  1858. 
"  I  do  not  know  from  experience  what  a  man's  feelings 
are  when  coming  out  of  such  a  death  in  life  as  you  have 
passed  through,  but  from  what  I  jDcrsonally  know  of  sorrow, 
or  escapes  from  danger,  there  is  little  of  that  joy  or  excite- 
ment of  any  kind  which  most  people  picture  to  themselves. 
I  have  always  felt  my  nervous  system  exhausted,  my  feel- 
ings listless,  my  intellect  dull,  and  my  moral  being  shut 
up  to  a  quiet  thankfulness,  a  simple  leanmg  on  Christ, 
Avith  little  more  in  my  mind  than  that  I  was  nothing  and 
He  was  all,  and  no  stronger  desu-e  than  henceforth  to  be 
kept  by  Him  and  in  Him.  Everything  about  our  Ich-heit 
is  so  base,  earthy,  mean.  He  must  be  all  in  all.  Yet  how 
difficult  and  perplexing  a  thing  to  the  vain,  proud,  seK- 
willed  man  is  the  simpUcity  which  is  in  Christ  !" 

From  his  Joubnal  : — 

"  A2?ril  5. — On  Sunday  night  I  finished  my  second 
winter's  course  of  sermons  to  the  working  classes.  The 
church  Avas  full.  I  preached  about  an  hour  and  a  half  to 
them.  Yet  though  I  had  preached  twice  during  the  day, 
I  felt  as  if  I  could  have  gone  on  till  midnight.  There  is 
something  overpoAveringly  interesting  in  seeing  fourteen 
hundred  people  in  their  poor  clothes  drinking  in  the  Avord  ! 
I  never  preach  as  I  do  to  them.  I  feel  Avhat  it  is  to  be  an 
evangelist. 

"  Last  night  I  had  a  meeting  of  my  old  communicants, 
and  a  very  delightful  one  it  was. 

"  I  admitted  a  year  ago  sixty-nine  to  tlie  communion 


1857— i859.  75 

for  the  first  time.  These  sat  down  at  a  separate  service, 
in  their  working  clothes.  At  the  next  communion  upwards 
of  twenty  had  got  clothes,  and  joined  other  churches,  as 
I  had  no  sittings  for  them.  A  large  number,  about  twenty, 
I  think,  sat  down  in  their  Avorldng  clothes.  At  my  ordi- 
nary communion  others  had  got  good  clothes.  Now  I  find 
that,  with  the  excej)tion  of  nine,  all  are  attending  church, 
fit  to  join  at  the  ordinary  communion.  These  nme  are  too 
much  in  difficulty  from  Avant  of  work  to  get  good  clothes 
yet.  They  will  sit  down  in  their  working  clothes.  I  have 
steadfastly  kept  aloof  from  giving  clothes,  lest  it  should  be 
looked  on  as  a  bribe  and  injure  themselves  and  others. 
See  the  result ! 

"  I  am  now  collecting  for  my  Mission  Church  at  Kelvin- 
haugh,  and  God  is  greatly  blessing  me  in  it.   T.  0.  A." 

He  was  made  deeply  thankful  by  receiving  from 
the  working  men  themselves,  on  more  than  one 
occasion,  such  testimonies  as  the  following  to  the 
benefit  they  had  derived  from  his  teaching  : — 

"  .  .  .  .  We  thank  God  for  having  led  you  in  the 
midst  of  your  multifarious  and  onerous  duties  to  think  of 
us,  and  we  thank  you  for  having  been  the  willing  instru- 
ment in  His  hand  of  first  rousing  us  from  our  indifference, 
and  leading  us  to  take  a  manly  and  straightforward  view 
of  our  condition.  Though  the  novelty  which  at  first 
attached  to  these  meetings  has  passed  away,  some  of  us 
know  that  their  influence  for  good  has  been  most  enduring. 
....  Not  content  with  bringing  us,  as  it  were,  to  the 
entrance  of  the  Saviour's  Church  and  leaving  us  to  go  in 
or  return  as  we  pleased,  you  have  led  us  into  the  great 
congregation  of  His  saints  on  earth,  and  have  invited  us  to 
take  our  places  among  our  fellow-behevers  at  the  Lord's 
table,  so  that  we  might  enjoy  similar  privileges  with  them. 
Those  of  us  who  have  accepted  this  invitation  have  nothing 
of  this  world's  goods  to  offer  you  in  return,  but  we  shall 
retain  a  life-long  gratitude  for  your  kindness — a  gratitude 
which  shall  be    continued  when  we   shall  meet  in    that 


76  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

eternal  world  wliich  lies   beyond  the  grave "We 

beg  you  will  accept  of  these  expressions  of  gratitude  in 
place  of  '  the  silver  and  gold '  of  which  '  we  have  none,' 
and  we  subscribe  ourselves,  with  much  regard, 

"The  WoiiKiNG  Men." 

A  working  man,  who  signs  his  own  name  '  on 
behalf  of  a  number  of  others,'  writes — 

"  We  are  not  aware  whether  you  know  of  any  case  in 
which  your  labours  have  been  successful  in  arousing  the 
careless,  and  in  effecting  reformation  in  character  and  dis- 
position ;  if  not,  we  can  assure  you  that  such  instances 
are  not  rare,  as  even  in  our  own  neighbourhood  many 
have  been  brought,  through  your  instrumentality  under  God, 
to  bethink  themselves  and  mend  then'  ways." 


From  his  Johrn.vl  : — 

'' Airvil  30.  — The  University  of  Glasgow  has  this  day 
conferred  the  honour  on  me  of  the  decfree  of  D.D.  How 
sad  it  makes  me  !  I  feel  as  if  they  had  stamped  me  with 
old  age,  and  that  it  was  a  great  cataract  in  the  stream  lead- 
ing more  rapidly  to  '  the  unfathomable  gulf  where  all  is 
still.'  And  it  is  so.  I  have  at  best  but  a  short  time  for 
work.  0  my  God,  brace  every  nerve  of  my  soul  by  Thy 
mighty  Sj^irit  that  I  may  glorify  Thee  on  earth,  and  as  a 
faithful  servant  redeem  the  time  and  finish  the  work  which 
Thou  hast  given  me  to  do  ! " 


To  the  Eev.  J.  E.  Gumming  : — 

2ni  June,  1858. 

"  1  have  not  myself  found  travelling  congenial  to  much 
inner  work.  The  outer  Avorld  of  persons  and  things  I 
always  relished  so  intensely  that  I  required  an  extra  effort 
to  keep  to  quiet  reading  and  prayer.  One  possesses  such 
an  '  abundance  of  things,'  that  they  are  apt  to  become  '  the 
life '  for  the  time.  But  I  doubt  not  that  the  sobriety  of 
weak  health  may  act  as  a  counterpoise,  keeping  the  soul 


1857—1859-  77 

in  hourly  remembrance  of  its  trie  and  abiding  life.  I 
have  no  doubt  you  will  find  a  blessing  in  going  thus  to 
'rest  awhile.'  It  is  good  to  be  made  to  feel  how  God's 
work  can  go  on  Avithout  us,  and  to  be  able  to  review  from 
without  our  past  work,  and  to  be  more  cast  on  God  Him- 
self, and  thus  be  more  emptied  of  our  own  vain  selves. 

"  When  we  are  weak,  then  are  Ave  strong.  The  least 
are  the  greatest.  I  pray  you  may  CA^ery  day  be  draAvn 
nearer  Christ,  and  return  to  us  stronger  in  body  and  soul." 


From  his  Journal  : — 

"  June  3,  again !  — I  am  now  forty-six,  and  the  future 
uncertain  !  And  so  this  life  of  mine,  Avhich  seems  to  me 
about  to  begin,  is  fast  ending !  I  declare  it  makes  the 
perspiration  break  out  on  my  brow.  Oh,  cursed  idleness, 
desultory  study,  Avant  of  hard  reading  and  accurate  scholar- 
ship Avhen  young,— this  has  been  a  grievous  evil,  a  heavy 
burthen  to  me  all  my  life  !  I  have  Avanted  tools  for  my 
mental  poAA^ers.  Had  my  resources  been  trained  by  art,  so 
that  they  could  have  been  Avisely  directed  during  my  past 
life,  I  feel  that  I  could  have  done  something  to  have  made 
me  look  back  Avith  more  satisfaction  on  these  bygone  years. 

"  0  my  Father,  if  I  but  felt  assured  that  I  should  be  a 
little  child,  then  Avould  I  never  mourn  the  loss  of  my  first 
childhood,  nor  fear  the  coming  on  of  my  old  age  ! 

"  Glory  to  Thee  now  and  for  ever  that  I  have  been  born 
twice  in  Thy  kingdom  1" 


To  Mrs.   MACLEOD    (during  her  absence  Avith    his  family  in  the 
country) : — 

The  Study,  July  2Gfh,  1858. 

"  Why  do  you  leave  me  here  to  be  devoured  with  rats 
and  grief  ?  The  house  is  horrible.  I  am  afraid  of  ghosts. 
The  doors  creak  in  a  way  that  indicates  a  clear  con- 
nection Avith  the  unseen  world.  There  are  noises  too. 
How  sloAV  must  Hades  be  if  spirits  find  Woodlands  Terrace 
at  this  season  more  exciting !  Hoav  idle  they  must  be  if 
to  frighten  a  parson  is  their  most  urgent  work  !     And  yet 


78 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


on  m}'  honour  I  believe  there  is  one  going  at  this  moment 
uj)  the  stairs." 


From  his  Journal  : — 

"  Se2of ember  6. — I  have  been  too  busy  to  be  at  rest  with 
my  family  at  Elie.  I  start  to-day  with  Leitch  ""'  for  a  dash 
into  Switzerland.  May  God  guide  me  and  keep  me  holy 
and  wise,  that  I  may  return  home  fit  in  mind  and  body 
tor  my  winter  work  !" 

To  Mrs.  Macleod  : — 

Paeis. 

"  Drove  to  Bois  de  Boulogne,  paid  considerably,  and 
saw  nothing  but  the  driver's  back.  My  money  goes  as 
usual — like  snow.  Mammon  was  no  doubt  a  devil ;  he 
enters  into  the  coin,  and  it  rushes  down  steep  places  for 
ever  into  the  abyss,  and  never  returns.  Best  love  to  my 
mother,  who,  were  she  here,  would  go  on  the  stage,  or 
think  she  was  dead,  or  if  not,  that  the  Champs  Elys^es 
were  theologically  so." 


Zimicn,  Friday,  10th  Sepfemler,  1858. 
"  At  Basle  I  called  for  Auberlen.    We  spent  the  rest  of 
our  time  in  the  Institution  for  training  Missionaries,  and 
had  all  my  principles  confirmed  and  illustrated. 

*  The  late  Principal  Leitch. 


1857—1859- 


79 


"Had  a  most  exquisite  drive  by  railway  to  this  place. 
As  we  were  crossing  a  valley,  the  range  of  Bernese  Alps 
Imrst  suddenly  on  our  sight,  every  mountain-side  and  peak 
gleaming  on  their  western  sides  with  the  intense  furbished 
gold  we  saw  at  Mont  Blanc.  I  gave  a  cry  of  wonder  and 
joy  that  started  the  whole  carriage — all  but  a  Cockney, 
who  kept  reading  all  the  time  a  Swiss  guide-book.  I  shall 
never  forget  that  second  introduction  to  the  Alps.  AVhen 
we  arrived  at  Zurich  we  drove  to  the  old  hotel ;  but  we 
did  not  look  fine  enough,  and  only  a  double-bedded  room 
was  offered,  and  refused.  Angry  at  this,  I  would  not  go 
to  the  Baur,  but  came  out  at  the  first  hotel  the  'bus 
stopped  at.  This  Gasthof,  you  must  know,  presents  to  the 
Gasse  but  one  enormous  gable  with  seven  stories,  covered 
by  a  projecting  roof.  Within,  it  contains  a  combination  of 
short  stairs,  passages,  kitchens,  bedrooms,  and  eating-rooms, 
utterly  indescribable  as  to  their  relative  positions. 

"  There  is  a  daily  paper  with  the  names  of  all  the  hotels 
and  their  guests.  I  see  in  ours  '  8  Militdr.'  These  are 
common  soldiers  ;  the  town  is  full  of  them,  and  a  dozen  are 
billeted  in  our  lobb}^  I  hear  the  drummer  practising  in 
the  Speise  Saal.     At  first  I  was  disposed  to  be  sulky,  but 


Boss  so  thoroughly  enjoys  it,  and  is  so  thankful  for  having 
come  to  this  sort  of  hotel,  that  he  has  brought  me  to  his 
own  mind.  My  window  commands  a  glorious  view  of  the 
lake,  and  the  roofs  of  half  the  houses.  Well,  I  find  I 
am  nowhere  so  happy  as  at  home.  Yery  truly  I  say  that, 
even  here.  My  own  fireside  and  my  home  parish  work 
are  the  circles  within  which  is  my  earthly  Paradise." 


8o  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Eagatz,  \2.ih  Ppjpte^nher. 

"The  baths  of  rfeffers  are,  I  think,  in  their  way,  the 
most  wonderful  scene  I  ever  beheld.  Conceive  a  huge 
fissure  about  five  hundred  feet  deep  ;  the  edges  at  the  top 
uniting  like  two  saws — now  in  contact,  and  then  an  open 
hole  through  which  you  see  the  blue  sky  and  the  intense 
green  trees  waving  in  light  some  hundreds  of  feet  above 
you — fifty  feet  beloAv,  the  raging  stream.  It  is  a  wondrous 
gorge  that!  We  ascended  by  a  zig-zag  path  about  a  mile 
higher,  and  came  np  to  the  pastures.  Oh !  what  a  sight 
of  green  uplands,  villages,  church  steeples,  ranges  of 
precipices,  snowy  peaks,  mountains  lighted  up  with  the 
setting  sun,  and  what  tinkling  of  hundreds  of  goat-bells  ! 
I  could  have  sat  down  and  wept.  As  it  Avas,  I  lifted  up  my 
heart  in  prayer,  and  blessed  God  for  this  one  glorious 
sight,  and  I  felt  I  could  retm'n  home  with  thankfulness." 

Cannstadt,  2Mh  Si^temher,  1858. 

"  I  preached  yesterday  forenoon  in  Stuttgart,  and  in  the 
afternoon  here.  The  English  clergyman  read  the  Hturgy 
in  the  morning.  The  congregation  excellent ;  afternoon 
crammed.  I  know  not  when  I  felt  a  Sabbath  more  truly 
peaceful,  happy,  and  profitable  to  myself,  and  I  hope  and 
believe  also  to  others.  Walked  by  moonlight  along  the 
old  street,  stood  before  the  house,  went  to  my  old  ijost '"' 
beyond  Hermann's  Hotel ;  recalled  all  the  past  year  we 
were  there  with  its  dark  sorrows  and  great  joys,  the  past 
eight  years  with  its  constant  sunlight ;  prayed,  and  looked 
up  to  the  old  stars  which  shone  on  me,  and  brought  me 
then  such  true  light  in  the  same  spot. 

"  I  had  great  delight  in  preaching,  and  had  such  a 
vivid  realisation  of  our  dear  one's  life  in  heaven  and  his 
hearty  realisation  of  that  '  kmgdom  and  glory,'  which  I 
feebly  attempted  to  express." 

From  his  Jotjenal  : — 

"September  27th,  1858. — I  liave  this  day  returned, 
refireshed  and  invigorated  in  mind,  spirit,  and  body. 

*  The  point  to  which  he  and  John  Mackintosh  walked  every  day. 


1857—1859-  8i 

"  My  route  was  London,  Paris,  Basle,  Zurich,  Wallenstadt, 
Ragatz,  Pfeffers,  Bellinzona,  Isola  Bella,  back  by  St.  Goth- 
ard,  Lucerne,  Zurich,  Cannstadt,  Heidelberg,  Mannheim, 
the  Rhine,  Rotterdam,  Leith.  Time,  three  weeks.  Cost, 
£23  10s.    Gain,  undying  memories,  health,  and  happiness." 

"  November  2. — On  my  return  I  found  the  command 
of  the  Queen  awaiting  me  to  preach  again  at  Balmoral. 
Preached  in  peace  and  without  notes.  After  dinner  the 
Queen  sent  for  me.  She  always  strikes  me  as  possessed 
of  singular  penetration,  firmness,  and  independence,  and 
very  real.  She  was  personally  singularly  kind,  and  I  never 
spoke  my  mind  more  frankly  to  any  one  who  was  a  stranger 
and  not  on  an  equal  footing. 

"  .  .  .  .  The  agitation  renewed  anent  non-intrusion. 
No  reform  requiring  an  Act  of  Parliament  will  interest  me 
unless  it  unites  Presbyterianism  in  Scotland.  That  is  the 
thing  to  be  sought." 

"January  16. 's  birthday.       God  bless  my 

child !  Make  her  simple,  earnest,  true,  and,  above  all 
other  things  in  the  universe,  Father,  give  her  love  to 
Thee,  that  in  all  her  difficulties  she  may  consult  Thee  and 
yield  to  what  her  conscience  tells  her  to  be  right,  that  in 
all  her  trials  she  may  trust  Thee  and  honour  Thee  by 
grace,  and  that  she  may  ever  seek  to  please  her  Saviour  in 
soul,  spirit,  and  body,  which  are  His !  Hear  us,  our  God, 
who  daily  pray  for  our  beloved  children  whom  Thou  hast 
given  us  in  Thy  great  love.     Amen!" 


The  centenary  celebration  of  the  birth  of  Eobert 
Burns  created  immense  excitement  in  almost  every 
region  of  the  earth  where  Scotchmen  could  congre- 
gate, and  in  the  poet's  native  land  was  the  signal  for 
the  outbreak  of  a  bitter  war  between  the  pulpit  and 
the  press.  There  were  fanatics  on  both  sides.  Ad- 
mirers of  the  poet  would  not  brook  exception  being 
taken  to  their  hero-worship  ;  this  provoked,  on  the 
opposite  side,  unmeasured  abuse  of  his  character  and 

VOL.    II.  o 


82  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

iufliicnco.  The  sacreJ  name  of  religion  Avas  so  con- 
stantly invoked  in  the  quarrel,  that  no  clergyman 
could  take  part  in  the  festival  without  risk  to  his 
repiitation.  Korraan  Macleod,  however,  felt  it  would 
be  unmanly  not  to  speak  what  he  believed,  and,  ac- 
cordingly, accepted  the  invitation  which  had  been 
sent  him  to  appear  at  the  Glasgow  Celebration.  As 
he  was  the  only  clergyman  on  the  platform,  his 
presence  was  greeted  with  unusual  cheering.  Every 
word  he  uttered  in  praise  of  the  poet  was,  as  might 
have  been  expected,  loudly  applauded ;  but  as  he  had 
come  to  utter  his  convictions,  he  was  quite  prepared 
for  the  storm  of  liissiug,  mingled  with  cheers,  which 
arose  as  he  adverted,  delicately  but  firmly,  to  those 
features  of  the  poet's  productions  which  every  reli- 
gious mind  must  deplore.  His  speech  was  a  vindi- 
cation of  his  own  position  as  a  Scotchman  and  a 
clergyman,  and  before  he  concluded  the  audience 
showed  how  heartily  they  appreciated  his  indepen- 
dence and  honesty. 

"  There  are  two  things,"  he  said,  "  which  to  me  make 
Bums  sufficiently  memorable.  One  is,  his  noble  protest 
for  the  independence  and  dignity  of  humanity,  as  expressed, 
for  example,  in  that  heroic  song,  '  A  man's  a  man  for  a' 
that.'  Another  is,  his  intense  nationality — a  noble  sen- 
timent, S2:)ringing,  like  a  plant  deeply  rooted  for  ages  in 
the  soil,  and  bearing  fruit  which  nourishes  the  manliest 
virtues  of  a  people.  Few  men  have  done  for  any  country 
in  this  res2)ect  what  Burns  has  done  for  Scotland.  He  has 
made  our  JJoric  for  ever  jooetical.  Everything  in  our  land, 
touched  with  the  wand  of  his  genius,  will  for  ever  retain 
the  new  interest  and  beauty  Avhich  he  has  imparted  to  it. 
Kever  will  the  '  banks  and  braes  of  bonnie  Doon '  cease  to 
be  '  fresh  and  fair,'  nor  the  '  birks  of  Abcrfeldy '  to  hang 


1857—1859-  83 

their  tresses  in  tlie  bright  atmosphere  of  his  song.  He 
has  even  persuaded  Scotchmen  '  0'  a'  the  airts  the  wind 
can  blaw '  most  dearly  to  'lo'e  the  west,'  though  it  comes 
loaded  to  us,  who  live  in  the  west,  only  with  the  soft 
favours  of  a  '  Scotch  mist.'  So  possessed  are  even  rail- 
way directors  and  rough  mechanics  by  his  presence  and 
liis  power,  that  they  send  '  Tarn  o'  Shanter '  and  '  Souter 
Johnnie '  as  locomotives,  roaring  and  whistling  through  the 
land  that  is  called  by  his  name,  and  immortalised  by  his 
genius.  How  marvellously  has  he  welded  the  hearts  of 
Scotchmen  throughout  the  world.  Without  him  they  would, 
no  doubt,  be  united  by  the  ordinary  bonds  of  a  common 
country  that  cannot  anywhere  be  forgotten — a  common 
tongue  that  cannot  anywhere  be  easily  mistaken — and  by 
mercantile  pursuits  in  which  they  cannot  anywhere  be 
wanted.  But  still  these  ties  would  be  like  the  cold  hard 
cable  that  connects  the  Old  and  New  World  beneath  the 
Atlantic.  The  songs  of  Burns  are  the  electric  sparks  which 
flash  along  it  and  give  it  life  ;  and  '  though  seas  between 
us  may  be  cast,'  these  unite  heart  and  heart,  so  that  as 
long  as  they  exist,  Scotchmen  can  never  forget  '  auld 
acquaintance,'  nor  the  '  days  o'  lang  syne.'  And  yet, 
how  can  a  clergyman,  of  all  men,  forget  or  fail  to  express 
his  deep  sorrow  on  such  an  occasion  as  the  present  for 
some  things  that  Burns  has  written,  and  which  deserve  the 
uncompromising  condemnation  of  those  who  love  him 
best  ?  I  am  not  called  upon  to  pass  any  judgment  on  him 
as  a  man,  but  only  as  a  writer ;  and  with  reference  to 
some  of  his  poems,  from  my  heart  I  say  it — for  his  own 
sake,  for  the  sake  of  my  country,  for  the  sake  of  righteous- 
ness more  than  all — would  God  they  were  never  written, 
never  printed,  and  never  read !  And  I  should  rejoice  to 
see,  as  the  result  of  these  festivals  in  honour  of  Burns,  a 
centenary  edition  of  his  poems,  from  which  everything 
would  be  excluded  which  a  Christian  father  could  not  read 
aloud  in  his  family  circle,  or  the  Christian  cottar  on  his 
'  Saturday  night '  to  his  sons  and  daughters.  One  thing  I 
feel  assured  of,  is,  that  righteously  to  condemn  whatever 
is  inconsistent  with  purity  and  piety,  while  it  cannot  lessen 
one  ray  of  his  genius,  is  at  once  the  best  proof  we  can  give 

G  2 


84  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

of  our  regard  for  Lis  memory  If  his  spirit  is  cognizant  of 
what  is  done  upon  earth,  most  certainly  such  a  judgment 
must  be  in  accordance  with  its  most  solemn  conviction  and 
most  earnest  wishes."* 


Some  influential  members  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Glasgow  at  tliis  time  moved  an  '  overture'  (as  a  formal 
representation  is  called)  to  the  General  Assembly  on 
the  subject  of  Lay  Patronage.  At  once  perceiving  the 
importance  of  the  question  thus  raised,  he  supported 
the  proposal  in  a  long  speech,  and  it  is  interesting,  in 
the  light  of  more  recent  Scottish  ecclesiastical  history, 
to  notice  the  care  with  which  he  had  already  weighed 
the  difficulties  besetting  the  policy,  in  which  he  was 
afterwards  to  take  a  conspicuous  lead. 

" ....  I  dare  not  conceal  my  own  honest  convictions 
of  the  extreme  difficulty  of  getting  a  hearing  in  Parliament, 
a  conviction  strengthened  when  I  think  that,  in  1843,  we 

♦  He  afterwards  received  the  following  characteristic  letter  of 
thanks  from  the  late  able  and  lamented  Dr.  Duncan,  Professor  of 
Hebrew  in  the  Free  Chiu-ch  College,  Edinbui-gh. 

29iA  January,  1859. 

"  I  have  just  read  with  delight  the  extract  from  your  speech  at  the 
Burns  Centenary  Meeting.  The  works  of  Burns  are  a  power  whose 
influence  is  to  bo  felt,  and  will  continue  to  be  so,  in  this  countrj-  and 
beyond  it ;  a  very  mixed  one  it  is  true.  In  all  such  things  we  are  bid 
to  choose  the  good  (thankfully,  as  all  good  is  of  God)  and  refuse  the 
evil.  '  Abhor  that  which  is  evil  and  cleave  to  that  which  is  good.'  I 
can  deeply  sympaihizo  with  the  moral  tone  of  feeling  which  turns  from 
the  whole  with  the  loathing  which  the  smell  of  the  dead  fly  causes — 
the  miasma  which  it  spreads.  I  cannot,  however,  think  that  the  zeal 
of  some  '  abounds  in  all  wisdom.'  To  abolish  Burns  is  not  possible, 
and  it  is  pleasing  to  think  that  the  '  non  omnis  moriar '  may  be  applied 
to  our  great  lyrical  poot,  not  only  with  safety,  but  to  so  great  ad- 
vantage. 

"  I  beseech  you  prosecute  the  idea  of  printing  a  purified  centenary 
edition.  The  pearls  must  be  rescued.  Why  should  our  children  not 
have  them  clear  of  the  impure  dross  or  sand,  and  placed  in  as  fine  a 
casket  as  the  hallowed  genius  of  the  nation  can  produce  ?" 


i8s7 — 1859-  85 

had  far  stronger  claims  to  be  heard  than  now,  and  when 
the  evils  calling  for  legislative  enactment  were  far  more 
pressing.  I  argue  from  the  general  temper  in  which  Par- 
liament legislates ;  the  whole  tendency  of  legislation  in 
Parliament,  as  you  will  see  from  year  to  year,  being  not 
for  sections  of  the  community.  But  if  Parliament  is  will- 
ing and  ready  to  hear  us,  I  for  one  would  most  assuredly 
be  deeply  thankful  for  a  legislative  measure  that  should 
enable  us  to  cure  the  evil. 

"There  is  another  way  of  looking  at  this  case,  which 
seems  perhaps  to  be  the  more  important,  when  regarded 
with  reference  to  Scotland.  Many  people  say,  '  What  have 
we  to  do  with  other  Churches,  and  with  the  opinions  of  the 
Free  Church,  or  of  any  other  Church?  We  have  to  do  with 
ourselves.'  I  say  we  sink  down  to  be  mere  sectarians  when 
we  say  we  have  only  to  do  with  ourselves  and  not  with  the 
country.  I  say,  as  a  National  Establishment,  we  have  to 
do  with  the  nation ;  as  a  National  Scotch  Establishment 
we  have  to  do  -with  Scotchmen ;  and  I  should  never  like 
to  hear  any  great  question  discussed  merely  with  reference 
to  its  relationship  to  our  Church,  and  not  in  its  relation- 
ship to  our  country.  When  Ave  look  at  this  question  in 
reference  to  the  whole  of  Scotland,  I  think  it  is  still  more 
complicated.  I  believe  that  the  welfare  of  Scotland,  as 
a  whole,  is  bound  up  with  Presbyterianism.  Scotland,  as 
a  country,  will  rise  or  fall  with  its  Presbyterianism.  It  is 
warped  into  its  whole  historical  past,  into  the  hearts 
of  our  people,  as  not  one  other  element  in  our  national 
greatness  or  history  is.  The  second  point,  I  think,  you 
will  agree  upon,  is  that  the  interests  of  Presbyterianism  in 
Scotland  are  bound  up  with  the  Estabhshed  Church.  I 
do  not  say  the  Established  Church  exclusively,  but  I  say  the 
Established  Church  inclusively.  The  Presbyterianism  of 
Scotland  might  be  the  better  of  a  vigorous  Presbyterianism 
always  lying  outside  of  the  National  Establishment,  but  I 
think  it  would  be  much  worse  if  there  was  no  National 
Establishment  at  all.  Now  what  is  the  present  state  of  our 
Church  in  reference  to  Scotland  generally  ?  Episcopacy 
has  unfortunately  alienated  a  very  great  number  of  the 
upper  classes,  not  from  the  Church  of  Scotland  merelv.  but 


86  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

from  the  Presbyterianism  of  Scotland.       I  would  wish  tn 
talk  gently  and  kindly  on  this  subject.     I  am  very  un- 
willing to  attribute  motives.    There  are  many  Episcopalians 
whose  families  have  been  so  from  generation  to  generation. 
Many  of  these  have  never  belonged  to  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land, and  are  yet  most  hearty  friends  of  the  Established 
Church ;  some  of  them  are  among  her  kindest  and  most 
generous  friends.    There  are  others,  again,  who  have  become 
Episcopalians  from  the  fact  of  English  education  ;  and  there 
are  others  who  have  become  so  from — I  hardly  know  how  to 
express  my  meaning,  but  perhaps  a  little  flunlceyism  would 
not  be  a  bad  term.    While  there  is  a  great  mass  of  educated 
gentlemen  of  this  persuasion,  many  of  whom  are  my  per- 
sonal friends,  and  for  whom  I  entertain  the  greatest  possible 
respect,  there  are,  along  with  these,  clergy  and  laity,  who  are 
antagonistic  for  conscience  sake,  not  only  to  the  Church 
of  Scotland,  but  to  Presbyterianism.      Looking,  again,  to 
Presbyterians,  we  see  that  there  is  a  great  number  of  the 
middle   classes  who   do  not    belom?    to    the    Established 
Church,  and  who  are  even  antagonistic  to  it.      In   these 
circumstances,  I  do  not  myself  see  how  the  Established 
Church  can  remain  as  she  is,  and  continue  to  be  the  National 
Church.    There  is  no  use  of  entering  on  the  question  whether 
it  will  last  your  day  or  mine,  but  it  is  perfectly  clear  that, 
as  a  National  Church,  if  she  is  to  represent  the  Presby- 
terianism of  the  nation,  this  state  of  things  cannot  last 
Should  we  not  dej^lore,  for   the  sake  of  Presbyterianism 
in   Scotland,   and  for  the  sake  of  all  Churches,  that  this 
noble  old  Presbyterian  Establishment  should  be  pennanently 
weakened,  or  should  fall  ?     Presbyterianism  is  linked  in- 
separably  with    the  holy  memories   of   the  Reformation. 
Every  Reformed  Church  in   every  part   of    Europe — let 
me  say  so  to  Episcopalians — took  the  Presbyterian  form, 
either  in  fict  or  in  theor}^ ;  in  France,  in  Spain,  in  Italy, 
in  the  National  Church  of  Germany,  in  Switzerland,  in 
Holland,  in  Sweden,  and  Norway,  this  was  the  case.    Are  Ave 
now  to  have  no  representative  National  Presbyterian  Chun^^h 
speaking  the  English  language — and  this,  too,  in  the  present 
state  of  Episcopacy  and  Romanism  ?    ^Yell,  if  we  are  not  to 
be  permanently  weakened  as  a  National  Establishment,  we 


1857— 1?59-  87 

must  gather  the  masses  of  Presbyterians  now  lying  beyond 
our  pale.  In  one  word,  I  think  it  is  the  duty  of  our  Church, 
as  a  National  Church,  to  entertain  not  only  privately  in 
our  hearts,  but  publicly,  the  question  of  union  with  the 
Free  Church.  I  assume  that  such  a  union  is  essential  for 
their  welfare  as  for  ours.  We  should  cease  without  it  to  be 
national  in  the  strongest  sense  of  the  word,  and  they  would 
cease  to  be  national  in  their  principles,  and  sink  down  to  be 
Voluntaries,  instead  of  retaining  the  convictions  and  prin- 
ciples on  which  they  left  the  Establishment.  I  do  not  think 
we  can  exist  worthily  as  a  great  National  Church  unless  some 
such  union  takes  place.  But  before  that  union  is  possible, 
there  must,  in  the  nature  of  things,  be  legislative  enact- 
ment. It  is  not  possible  with  the  present  state  of  our  law 
with  reference  to  the  induction  of  ministers,  not  to  speak 
of  our  laws  afiecting  spiritual  independence.  The  Free 
Church  men  have  justified  to  the  whole  world  the  serious- 
ness and  strength  of  their  convictions  on  these  points  ; 
and  if  we  are  to  be  as  one  again,  these  convictions  assuredly 
must  be  respected  by  us — at  all  events  they  themselves 
will  respect  them." 

From  his  Journal  : — 

"February  11. — A  girl  born  to  us.  We  give  her  to 
the  Lord.      Bless  His  name ! 

"March  12. — 'We  give  her  to  the  Lord,'  and  this 
night  it  would  seem  as  if  the  Lord  would  take  her  to 
Himself  She  has  been  seized  with  cholera  and  seems 
very  weak. 

"  March  15. — The  anniversary  of  my  ordination  twenty- 
one  years  ago  !  I  have  attained  my  majority  as  a  minister. 
Praise  the  Lord  for  it ! 

"  In  proportion  as  I  realise  how  the  Lord  has  made  me 
an  instrument  of  good,  and  ever  heard  my  prayer,  and 
blessed  my  miserable  labours ;  in  that  proportion  do  I 
feel  how  deep  and  real  is  my  sin.  Where  has  been  the 
habitual  yearning  for  souls,  the  cherishing  them  as  a  nurse 
her  children  ;  the  constant  prayer  for  them  ;  the  carrying 
their  burden  ;   the  prompt  action  ;  the  devotedness  ;  the 


88  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

love  to  Christ  always  ?  I  truly  feel  that  the  thief  on  the 
cross  owes  no  more  to  God's  grace  than  I  as  a  minister  do. 
My  sms  and  defects  as  a  minister  would  overwhelm  me, 
unless  I  believed  in  that  glorious  atonement  made  for  the 
worst  :  justification  by  faith  alone.  Father,  in  Christ, 
forgive  thine  unworthy  servant  !  Enter  not,  enter  not 
into  judgment,  for  he  camiot  out  of  Christ  be  justified ! 
I  plead  Thy  free  grace  alone. 

"  Jily  dear  babe  now  seems  fast  approaching  her  end. 
I  baptized  her  myself  on  Sabbath  morning. 

"  How  strano-e  that  she  knows  no  one  in  the  universe  ! 
Yet  how  known,  how  cared  for,  how  beloved !  How 
different  will  her  education  be  from  ours !  Yet  I  do  not 
envy  it  now.  The  old  earth,  where  Christ  Himself  learned 
obedience  as  a  child,  is  the  grandest  school. 

"  20^/i. — Now,  though  not  out  of  great  danger,  there 
is  hope.  It  has  been  a  most  blessed  time !  We  gave  her 
to  the  Lord,  I  believe,  sincerely.  We  give  her  still,  as  far 
as  Ave  know  our  hearts.  We  prayed  beside  her ;  but,  with 
the  yearning  implanted  in  our  hearts  by  our  Father,  we 
cried  to  Him  to  spare  her  ;  and  God  knoweth  how  I  feel  it 
is  His  doing,  and  in  answer  to  prayer,  if  she  is  spared. 

"  God  bless  my  sermons  to-day  on  Missions  in  St. 
Andrew's  and  Barony  !  Hear  me.  Lord,  for  my  heart  is 
in  it !" 

There  were  few  important  questions  broiiglit  before 
the  Assembly  of  1859  on  which  he  did  not  speak  at 
length ;  most  of  them  touched  on  matters  in  which  he 
had  special  interest.  The  subject  of  the  revival, 
which  followed  on  the  great  American  awakening  of 
1858,  was  then  rousing  attention  in  Ireland  and  in 
many  parts  of  Scotland.  lie  never  doubted  the  possi- 
bility of  a  great  outpouring  of  the  Spirit,  and,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  movement,  he  wrote  and  preached 
much  in  its  favour.  Later  phases  of  it  compelled 
him,  however,  to  modify  his  expectations  as  to  its 


i8s7 — 1859.  8g 

results ;  but  the  incredulity  with  which  the  very  idea 
of  a  RcAdval  was  regarded  by  many  of  the  clergy, 
grieved  him  even  more  than  the  exaggerations  of 
over-zealous  supporters.  Wnen  the  question  came 
before  the  Assembly  of  1859,  it  did  so  in  a  shape 
which  excited  in  him  a  feeling  of  positive  indigna- 
tion. A  minister  labouring  in  a  poor  parish  in  Aber- 
deen, had  permitted  several  earnest  laymen  to  address 
his  people  from  the  pulpit;  and  the  Presbytery, 
avoiding  any  expression  of  opinion  as  to  the  character 
of  their  teaching  or  its  results,  had  thought  proper  to 
rebuke  their  more  zealous  brother  on  the  technical 
ground  of  having  allowed  laymen  to  speak  in  church. 
This  unsympathetic  method  of  putting  down  an 
earnest,  and,  at  worst,  a  mistaken  attempt  to  do  good, 
touched  Norman  Macleod  to  the  quick. 

"A  few  Christian  men,"  he  snid,  "came  to  Aberdeen 
and  were  brought  within  the  sacred  walls  of  one  of  the 
churches  there.  He  did  not  know  whetlier  they  preached 
a  sermon  or  not ;  he  did  not  know  whether  they  stood  in  a 
pulpit  fifteen  feet,  or  on  a  platform  seven  feet  high,  but 
he  knew  that  they  addressed  people  upon  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ,  and  that  as  Christian  men  they  spoke  from 
their  hearts  to  thousands. 

"  The  only  fault  found  Avith  these  men  seemed  to  be 
that  they  addressed  immortal  souls  on  the  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity within  the  walls  of  a  church,  but  he  had  been 
brought  up  m  the  belief  that  the  Church  of  Scotland 
attached  no  peculiar  sacredness  to  stone  and  lime.  It 
had  been  pleaded  at  the  bar  that  these  men  might  go  to 
the  street.  But  there  were  many  laws  that  were  tolerable 
only  because  they  had  liberty  occasionally  to  break  them ; 
and  surely  all  Church  laws  must  subserve  the  one  o-rand 
end  for  which  all  Churches  exist.  They  might  have  dec^ency, 
order,  regularly  appointed  licentiates,  and  regularly  ordained 


90  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

men,  and  death  all  tho  Avliile.  This  was  not  a  time,  whe>» 
there  was  so  much  necessity  for  increased  spiritual  life,  for 
the  General  Assembly  to  occupy  a  whole  night  in  finding 
fault  because  a  minister  permits  a  layman  to  preach  the 
gospel  from  a  pulpit." 

He  also  spoke  upon  Home  Missions,  and  in  the 
course  of  his  speech  took  occasion  to  repudiate  some 
of  the  accounts  that  were  commonly  given  by  social 
and  religious  Eeformers  of  the  condition  of  Glasgow, 
and  of  the  state  of  the  working  classes  there.  No  one 
knew  better  than  he  the  characteristic  faults  of  those 
classes ;  but  he  emphatically  denied  the  exaggerated 
statements  as  to  their  habits,  with  which  sentimental 
proposals  for  their  improvement  were  often  supported. 
It  must  also  be  confessed  that  he  was  hurt  by  the 
manner  in  which  his  views  had  been  misrepresented 
by  that  advanced  section  of  abstainers  who  were  ready 
to  brand  a  man  as  an  abettor  of  drunkenness  if  he  did 
not  inculcate  their  special  opinions.  His  tract  on 
Temperance  had  been  more  than  once  most  unjustly 
handled  by  these  people,  and  partly  provoked  by  such 
criticisms,  but  still  more  as  vindicating  for  working 
men  the  liberty  which  was  not  denied  to  other  classes, 
he  spoke  with  a  warmth  and  franl^ness  which  startled 
many. 

"  The  city  of  Glasgow  has  somehow  or  other  got  such  a 
very  bad  name  for  its  weather  and  its  morality,  that  one 
would  suppose,  from  the  statements  made  in  some  quarters, 
we  sat  soaking  in  water  all  the  day,  and  soaking  in  whisky 
all  the  night ;  that  we  were  engaged  in  cheating  our  neigh- 
bours on  week  days,  and  on  Sabbath-day  sat  sullcy  and 
gloomy  in  the  house.  There  has  been  a  great  tendency 
to  exaggeration  in  describing  the  condition  of  the  work- 


i857 — 1859-  91 

ing  classes.  If  people  wish  to  advance  teetotalism,  they 
generally  begin  by  showing  what  a  dreadful  set  of  black- 
guards the  working  classes  are.  When  the  question  of 
the  suffrage  is  brought  above  board,  and  if  men  do  not 
wish  to  concede  it,  they  say,  '  Oh,  you  cannot  grant  it  to 
the  working  classes.'  These  poor  fellows  are  struck  right 
and  left,  and  the  impression  is  given  that  in  such  a  place 
as  Glasgow  there  is  nothing  in  the  East-end  but  an  enor- 
mous mass  sunk  in  degradation,  while,  in  the  Terraces,  and 
Streets,  and  Squares  of  the  West-end  there  is  a  population 
almost  entirely  intelligent  and  pious. 

"  Do  not  let  us  fall  into  exaggeration.  We  have  an 
enormous  mass  of  ignorant  people  in  Glasgow.  We  have 
a  mass  of  Irish,  neither  under  the  care  of  priest  or  pres- 
byter, and  in  a  wretched,  degraded  condition  ;  but  I  feel 
there  is  a  vast  number  of  steady,  sober.  God-fearing  men 
amongst  our  workins:  classes  who  are  never  heard  of,  and 
who,  whilst  these  drunken  fellows  may  be  creating  a  dis- 
turbance in  the  streets,  are  sitting  quietly  by  their  fire- 
sides. Generally  speaking,  I  must  say  the  working  classes 
are  very  like  the  upper  classes.  I  find  vulgar,  dissi- 
pated, and  indecent  people  in  both  classes.  I  must  also 
state  that  the  working  classes  have  a  respect  for  the  clergy, 
and  will  always  receive  one  with  respect,  provided  he  treats 
them  with  respect.  But  if  one  goes  among  the  working 
classes  he  ought  not  to  do  so  as  if  arranging  for  Popish 
controversies,  or  as  a  controversialist  coming  from  one 
class  to  another.  I  am  not  going  to  argue  the  question, 
though  I  am  ready  to  do  so,  but  I  hesitate  not  to  say,  as 
the  result  of  my  observation  of  Missions  to  Romanists  as 
hitherto  conducted  in  cities,  that  so  far  from  their  making 
Roman  Catholics  and  the  lower  classes  more  accessible  to 
the  clergy,  they  have  raised  up  barriers  in  their  way  which 
it  is  extremely  difficult  to  overcome.  So  much  do  I 
believe  this,  that  in  my  preaching  to  the  working  men  at 
night,  I  tell  them  I  am  not  going  to  attack  Romanism  or 
Popery,  because  that  doing  so  has  driven  men  from  the 
gospel.  I  am  going  to  preach  the  gospel  only.  And  I 
know  that  Roman  Catholics  do  come,  brought  by  those 
who  attend  regularly.     I  am  very  glad  that  it  is  proposed 


92  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

to  combine  the  anti-popery  agency  with  the  home-mission 
agency,  and  I  hope  the  Missionaries  will  go  earnestly  and 
lovingly  amongst  the  peojile  as  brethren  to  bretliren,  not 
in  the  attitude  of  saying,  *  You  are  wrong  and  we  are 
right,'  or  '  We  only  want  you  to  come  from  the  Popish  to 
the  Protestant  Church.'  .... 

"  In  regard  to  the  means  taken  to  educate  the  working 
classes  we  are  too  apt  to  forget  that  man  is  a  compound 
being,  a  social  being,  and  that  it  is  important  to  help  him 
to  better  house  accommodation,  and  a  better  knowledge  of 
natural  laws.  Above  all,  do  not  assume  too  high  a  standard 
as  to  the  little  luxuries  enjoyed  by  working  men.  Some 
say  the  working  man,  in  order  to  be  temperate,  must 
not  taste  a  single  drop  of  fermented  liquor ;  and  people, 
who  have  themselves  their  wine,  may  be  heard  talking 
wisely  about  the  horror  of  the  Avorking  man  having  his 
glass  of  beer  or  porter.  I  cannot  talk  in  this  way.  I 
should  feel  it  hypocritical.  I  would  rather  say  to  them  : 
'  God  has  given  it  to  you,  don't  take  it  as  from  the  devil, 
but  use  it  as  from  God.  Don't  take  it  in  the  publichouses. 
If  3'ou  wish  to  use  such  things,  do  so  frankly,  and  as  in  the 
presence  of  God,  at  your  own  fireside,  or  before  family 
worship,  and  if  the  minister  comes  in  offer  him  some,  and 
don't  be  ashamed.'  Do  not  let  me  be  misunderstood  as  to 
what  I  say  about  temperance,  because,  remember,  there  is 
a  tendency  among  a  certain  type  of  teetotalers  to  spread 
as  facts  all  that  can  be  brought  against  any  clergyman 
who  dares  to  lift  up  his  voice  against  what  threatens  to  be 
a  terrific  tyranny  in  Scotland.  Now  mark  what  I  do  say. 
Do  not  suppose  that  when  visiting  the  houses  of  working 
men  I  am  in  the  habit  of  taking  anj^thing  from  th(Mn  ;  I 
never  do  so.  Nor  would  I  be  understood  to  say  that  I 
would  not  seek  to  make  teetotalers  among  the  working 
classes.  When  I  find  that  any  of  them  drink  to  excess,  I 
try  to  make  them  resolve  to  be  teetotal ;  but  I  put  it  in 
this  form  :  '  Christ  desires  temperance,  and  if  you  cati't  be 
temperate  without  being  teetotal,  then  you  must  be  teeto- 
tal.' In  the  same  way  some  people,  in  order  to  save  the 
working  man  from  extravagance,  say,  '  Oh,  this  is  dreadful ; 
you  have  only  from  sixteen  to  seventeen  shillings  a  week 


i857 — 1859.  93 

and  yet  I  ha ,  e  more  than  once  found  you  Avith  a  pipe  in 
your  mouth.'  Now  why  should  he  not  smoke  his  pipe  ? 
Do  you  imagine  we  are  to  have  the  confidence  of  the  work- 
ing classes  if  we  speak  to  them  in  that  fashion  ?  I  would 
rather  say  to  him, '  I'll  give  you  tobacco  to  keep  your  pipe 
lighted,  I  like  one  myself.'  In  order  also  to  have  work- 
ing men  keep  the  Sabbath,  some  are  in  the  habit  of  speak- 
ing to  them  against  walking  on  the  Sabbath,  as  if  they 
were  terrified  to  give  them  that  liberty.  But  why  should 
they  wish  to  be  less  liberal  than  God  Who  has  made  us 
and  knows  our  frame  ?  Let  us  be  fair  and  honest  with 
the  working  man,  and  you  will  find  him  display  no 
tendency  to  pervert  your  teaching  if  you  deal  with  him  in 
a  spirit  of  liberality  and  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  God 
properly  interpreted.  But  when  you  are  less  liberal  than 
God  and  draw  the  bow  too  much  in  one  direction,  it  will 
rebound  all  the  more  on  the  other." 

He  concluded  a  long  speech  by  expressing  his  con- 
viction that  the  grand  instrument  for  elevating  the 
working  classes,  and  all  classes,  is  the  gospel.  Along 
with  the  gospel,  many  plans  of  doing  good  might 
succeed ;  without  the  gospel  they  would  certainly  fail. 


To  Miss  Scott  Monceieff  : — 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  my  old  sciatica  has  returned, 
which  makes  me  quite  a  cripple  m  mind  and  body,  and 
neither  of  these  instruments  can  be  well  spared  by  the 
minister  of  the  Barony.  I  had  an  American  clergyman 
breakfasting  with  me  yesterday,  and  he  tells  me  that  the 
Revival  goes  on  like  a  great  flood,  ever  deepening  and 
widening  without  almost  an  eddy  or  a  wave  ;  churches 
full  every  morning  at  eight  in  all  the  great  cities,  and  life 
universally  diffused.  If  this  is  fnjm  man,  he  is  not  so 
corrupt — not  a  smner,  but  a  saint  in  his  disposition.  If 
it  is  from  the  Devil — he  is  not  the  Devil  we  have  taken 
him  for.  But  it  is  from  God,  and  therefore  to  be  desired 
and  prayed  for.     My  American  friend  will  address  a  prayer 


94  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

meeting  in  my  church  on  the  subject.      Surely  Scotland 
will  share  the  blessing." 


To  the  Eev.  W.  Fleming  Stevenson  : — 

Septemler  I'th,  1859. 

"  I  have  every  intention  of  going  to  Ireland  when  the 
seed  has  reached  the  blade  or  full  ear  of  corn.  I  think 
I  shall  then  be  able  to  have  a  truer  understandincr  of 
the  work.  In  the  meantime  I  heartily  recognise  it  as  a 
work  of  God.  Praise  Him  for  it !  The  one  unquestioned 
fact  of  universal  religious  earnestness  is  itself  a  grand 
preparation  of  the  soil  for  the  seed.  We  must  sow  with 
all  our  might.  Who  need  a  revival  more  than  some  of 
us  ministers  ?" 


The  Back  Study. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
1860—61. 

AS  the  next  twelve  years  were  the  last,  so  they 
were  the  most  laborious  and  most  important,  of 
his  life.  In  addition  to  his  onerous  pastoral  duties, 
he  now  accepted  the  editorship  of  Good  Words.  The 
voluminous  correspondence  which  that  office  entailed 
necessarily  occupied  much  of  his  time ;  but,  besides 
numerous  minor  articles,  he  contributed  to  its  pages, 
between  1860  and  1870,  'The  Gold  Thread,'  'The 
Old  Lieutenant,'  'Parish  Papers,'  'The  Highland 
Parish,'  'Character  Sketches,'  'The  Starling,'  'East- 
ward,' and  '  Peeps  at  the  Far  East.'  For  the  greater 
part  of  the  same  period  he.  presided  over  the  India 
Mission  of  the  Church ;  and  during  its  course  he  had 
more  than  once  to  engage  in  painful  controversies  on 
public  questions,  which,  to  a  man  of  his  tempera- 
ment, were  more  exhausting  than  the  hardest  work. 


96  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

lEe  had  removed  during  tlie  previous  year  from 
Woodlands  Terrace  to  his  future  home  at  204,  Bath 
Street ;  and  here,  as  a  refuge  from  interruption,  he 
fitted  up  a  little  library  over  an  outside  laundry, 
which  was,  to  the  last,  his  favourite  nook  for  study. 
His  writing  table  was  placed  at  a  small  window 
which  he  had  opened  at  a  corner  of  the  room,  where 
he  could  enjoy  a  glimpse  of  sky  over  the  roofs  of 
the  surrounding  houses.  It  was  at  the  best  only  a 
spot  of  heaven  that  was  visible,  but,  such  as  it  was, 
it  afforded  him  some  refreshment  when,  in  the  midst 
of  his  work,  he  caught  a  passing  gleam  of  cloudland. 

Those  who  were  admitted  to  this  '  back  study ' 
will  remember  the  quick  look  with  which  he  used 
to  turn  from  his  desk  to  scan  his  visitor,  and  the 
unfailing  heartiness  with  which,  even  in  his  busiest 
hours,  the  pen  was  cast  aside,  the  small  meerschaum 
lighted,  and  throwing  himself  on  a  couch  covered 
with  his  old  travelling  buffalo  robe,  he  entered  upon 
the  business  in  hand.  But  the  continual  interrup- 
tions to  which  he  was  exposed*  and  the  pressure  of 
literary  engagements  gradually  drove  him  into  the 
habit  of  working  far  into  the  night,  and  as  he 
seldom  failed  to  secure  at  least  an  hour  for  devo- 
tional reading  before  breakfast,  his  sleep  was  curtailed, 
to  the  great  injuiy  of  his  health. 

*  Every  forenoon  there  was  quite  a  levee  at  his  house,  consisting 
chiefly  of  the  poor  seeking  his  aid  on  all  kinds  of  business,  relevant 
and  irrelevant.  On  these  occasions  his  valued  beadle,  Mr.  Lawson, 
acted  as  master  of  the  ceremonies.  One  day  when  Norman  was  over- 
whelmed with  other  work,  and  the  door-bell  seemed  never  to  cease 
ringing,  some  one  said,  '  I  believe  that  bell  is  possessed  by  an  evil 
Bpirit.'  '  Certainly,'  ho  answered.  '  Don't  you  know  the  Prince 
of  evil  spirits  is  called  ^e/Zzebub — fi"om  his  thus  torturing  hard- 
worked  ministers  P' 


i86o — 6i.  97 

Good  Words  was  not  projected  by  him  bnt  by  the 
publishers,  Mr.  Strahan  and  his  partner  Mr.  Isbister 
When  Mr.  Strahan  (to  whose  enterprise  and  genius 
as  a  publisher  the  magazine  greatly  owed  its  success) 
asked  him  to  become  its  editor  he  for  a  time  declined 
to  accept  a  task  involving  so  much  labour  and  anxiety. 
But  he  had  long  cherished  the  conviction  that  a 
periodical  was  greatly  required  of  the  type  sketched 
by  Dr.  Arnold,  which  should  embrace  as  great  a 
variety  of  articles  as  those  which  give  deserved  popu- 
larity to  publications  professedly  secular,  but  having 
its  spirit  and  aim  distinctively  Christian.  The  gulf 
which  separated  the  so-called  religious  and  the  secular 
press  was,  in  his  opinion,  caused  by  the  narrowness 
and  literary  weakness  of  even  the  best  religious  maga- 
zines. He  could  see  no  good  reason  for  leaving  the 
wholesome  power  of  fiction,  the  discussion  of  questions 
in  physical  and  social  science,  together  with  all  the 
humour  and  fun  of  life,  to  serials  which  excluded 
Christianity  from  their  pages.  His  experience  while 
conducting  the  Edmhiirgh  Christian  Magazine  served 
only  to  deepen  his  desire  to  have  an  ably  written 
periodical  which  would  take  up  a  manly  range  of 
topics,  and  while  embracing  contributions  of  a  directly 
religious  character,  should  consist  mainly  of  articles 
'on  common  subjects,  written,'  as  Arnold  said,  'with 
a  decidedly  Christian  tone.' 

From  his  Jouenal  : — 

^'January  1,  half-jyast  12. — Into  Thy  hands  I  commit 
my  life,  my  spirit,  my  family,  my  all ! 

"  I  have  had  more  pleasure  ia  preaching  this  year 
than  any  year  of  my  hfe.  Sabbath  after  Sabbath  I  have 
-  VOL.   II.  H 


98  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

had  joy  in  the  work,  and  have  been  wonderfully  helped  by 
God  out  of  the  pulpit  and  in  it.  I  had  my  usual  evening 
sermons  with  the  working  classes.  But,  strange  to  say, 
though  it  was  a  time  of  revival,  and  my  heart  longed  for 
one,  and  a  prayer-meeting  was  established  for  one,  and 
I  preached  two  months  longer  than  usual,  the  results  as 
to  attendance  and  conversions  were  far  poorer.  I  cannot 
yet  account  for  this,  except  on  the  supposition  that  the 
good  which  flowed  through  this  channel  has  gone  through 
others  into  God's  treasury.      Amen.* 

"  The  editorshij)  of  '  Good  Words '  was  given  me.  I 
did  not  suggest  or  ask  the  publication,  and  I  refused  the 
editorship  for  some  time.  On  the  j)rinciple,  however,  of 
trying  to  do  what  seems  given  me  of  God,  I  accepted  it. 
May  God  use  it  for  His  glory  ! " 

*  The  following  anonymous  letter  whicli  he  received  expresses 
graphically  the  impression  these  services  had  on  the  poor. 

"I  hope  yoii  will  excuse  me,  Sir,  a  poor  woman,  to  address  you, 
one  of  the  greatest  men  of  the  City,  but  I  feel  so  grateful  for 
3'our  unwearied  kindness  in  preaching  to  us  working-people  many 
winters,  just  out  of  pxu'e  good-will  for  (lie  roal  good  of  our  souls;  if 
the  prayers  of  the  poor  are  of  any  avail,  I'm  sure  you  have  them 
heartily,  you  have  no  idea  how  pi'oud  we  are  to  see  yourself  coming 
into  the  pulpit. 

"  I  remember  some  of  the  lectures  very  well  last  winter  on  the 
Creation,  on  the  fall  of  Man,  the  Flood,  and  Abraham  offering  up  his 
eon  Isaac,  and  how  delighted  we  were  that  night  when  you  were  on 
Lazarus,  and  Martha  and  Mary.  I  heard  j'ou  on  the  mysteries  of  pro- 
vidence, and  I  understood  it  well,  Sir,  as  I  heard  you  mention  how  it 
was  explained  to  yourself  that  night  when  you  thought  Mrs.  Macleod 
was  dying. 

"  Oh,  Sir,  I  hope  you  will  forgive  me  for  using  so  much  freedom 
as  this  with  yon,  but  I  thought  I  might  never  have  an  opportunity  of 
expressing  my  gratitude  to  j'ou  personally,  but  I  thought  a  word  from 
even  an  old  woman  would  help  to  encourage  you.  I  have  heard  you  say 
your  own  faith  was  sometimes  like  to  iail. 

'•  I  count  it  a  great  privilege  to  get  leave  to  hear  you,  you  speak  so 
kindlj'  to  us.  I  never  did  this  before  to  any  one,  but  I  never  ielt  so 
much  indebted  to  any  minister  before  now.  Sir,  I  hope  you  will 
forgive  me  if  I  have  done  wrong — it's  for  no  selfish  end,  depend 
on  it,  or  I  would  have  given  my  name  and  address.  I  am  just  a 
widow." 


i860 — 6i.  99 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

HiGHFiELD,  May,  1860. 

"This  is  a  magnificent  country,  and  the  house  stands 
on  a  gentle  eminence,  and  there  is  such  a  glorious  prospect 
of  massy  and  majestic  forest  from  it,  with  low  blue  hills 
far  away.  Spring  is  here  in  its  full-flooded  glory.  The 
woods  are  smothered  with  songs  and  nests.  The  night- 
ingales disturb  one's  repose.  The  roses  are  out,  and  a 
thousand  flowering  shrubs.  But  yet  I  can  think  of  little 
but  you  and  the  bairns,  and  would  prefer  the  confusion  of 
the  house  with  you  all,  to  this  grandeur  and  all  the 
happiness  of  seeing  my  dear  old  friends  again,  without  you. 
I  walked  through  a  lane  of  Scotch  firs 
to-day,  with  such  peeps  of  woodland 
and  English  glories  as  were  awful.  Yet 
somehow  I  am  sad.  It  may  be  indi- 
gestion, or  anticipated  work,  or  per- 
haps the  devil,  or  sin,  but  so  it  is. 

"  We  had  a  grand  lunch  yesterday  at 's.      Noble 

pictures,  a  nice  fellow,  and  lots  of  people  who  never 
knew  of  my  existence,  or  I  of  theirs.  They  came  and 
went  like  a  dream.  They  might  have  been  ghosts  but 
for  the  tremendous  luncheon  they  ate." 


To  J.  M.  Ludlow,  Esq. : — 

June  1,  1860. 

"  I  saw  in  Paris  all  I  wished  to  see,  and  more  than  I 
expected  to  have  seen.  I  visited  the  jewellers  and  file- 
makers,  and  had  a  great  deal  of  full  and  free  talk  with  the 
men,  through  a  patient  interpreter.  These  men  have  made 
a  deep  and  singularly  favourable  impression  upon  me.  They 
seem  to  me  to  be  the  most  hopeful  class  (and  more  hopeful 
than  any  I  supposed  to  exist  among  the  people  of  Paris) 
out  of  which  to  rear  a  strong,  truthful,  manly,  living 
Church  of  Christ.  Would  God  that  earnest  pastors  met 
them  as  brethren,  face  to  face,  heart  to  heart !  Honest 
fellows,  I  seem  still  to  feel  the  firm  grasp  of  their  hands ! 
Their  muscles  are  firmly  strung  to  their  hearts,  and 
vibrate  from  them.     1  do  not  think  their  associations  have 

H  2 


100  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

had  much  success,  but  they  prophecy  a  brighter  future  in 
better  times. 

"  I  have  heard  much  of  Highland  revivals  since  I  saw 
you.  The  fanaticism  is  dreadful,  the  evils  monstrous,  and 
the  fruits  small ;  yet  life,  life,  is  the  one  grand  want  of 
our  Protestant  churches,  come  how  or  when  it  may. 
All  is  dark  to  me  save  God. 

"  As  to  my  taking  offence,  thank  Heaven  a  pretty  good 
schooling  has  developed,  a  la  Darwin,  a  rather  thin-skinned 
Celt  into  a  tolerably  fair  specimen  of  a  pachydermatous 
Saxon.  I  never  take  offence  except  when  I  believe  a  man 
tries  to  insult  me,  which  I  don't  remember  has  happened. 
And  then  ?  Why  enter  on  the  discussion  of  such  a  nice 
bit  of  casuistry !  " 

From  his  Jotjenal  : — 

"  July  20. — Wellhanh,  Campsie. — We  have  taken  this 
sweet  place  for  two  months,  and  just  as  I  was  beguining 
to  enjoy  the  old  nest,  and  to  commune  with  the  old  hills, 
the  dear  nurses  of  my  youth,  I  am  suddenly  called  away 
to  Russia ! 

" .  .  .1  have  been  asked  to  aid  my  Scotch  countrymen. 
I  never  sought  it.  I  prayed  God  to  direct  me — and  I 
have  perfect  peace  from  feeling  it  to  be  His  will,  and 
so  I  go.  What  more  can  I  do  to  discover  God's  will 
than  a  call  to  work — prayer  for  guidance,  a  good  con- 
science, and  no  argument  against  the  work  ? 

"It  is  strange  that  I  have  never  mentioned  in  my 
Journal  what  has  been  so  near  my  heart,  my  call  to 
minister  to  dear  Lady  Bute  on  her  deathbed !  In  De- 
cember I  was  summoned  by  telegram  to  visit  her.  I  found 
her  sister  with  her.  Lady  Bute  was  almost  speechless. 
I  knelt  beside  her,  and  spoke  into  her  ear,  repeating  suit- 
able texts  of  Scripture.  She  evidently  understood  me,  for 
while  I  spoke  she  suppressed  her  breathing  so  as  to  listen, 
and  then,  as  I  ended,  she  breathed  rapidly,  turning  her 
ear  away.  May  that  dear  boy  know  God  as  his  Father, 
even  as  his  earthly  father  and  mother  knew  Him,  and 
this  will  be,  as  eternity  is  to  time,  above  all  earthly  riches 


i860 — 6i.  loi 

to  him.  I  had  prayers  with  hira  and  his  aunt.  I  offered 
to  remain  all  night,  and  begged  to  be  sent  for  in  the 
morning.  So  ended  a  life  full  of  deep  interest.  She 
had  a  singular  and  noble  sense  of  duty — a  refined  sense 
of  what  was  due  to  God  and  man — with  a  masculine 
intellect ;  a  deep,  tender  heart  to  her  friends,  a  mar- 
vellous, chivalrous  devotion  to  her  relations  —  father, 
mother,  sisters,  and  son  especially.  I  beheve  she  is  in 
glory — saved  through  Him  whom  she  knew  and  loved 
sincerely.  I  was  afterwards  at  her  funeral.  My  dear 
Macnab  was  there,  his  beloved  wife,  and  my  own  John 
Campbell.  I  accompanied  Mr.  Macnab  afterwards  to 
Carlisle.  He  died  a  month  afterwards,  and  a  more 
perfect  Christian  gentleman  or  finer  man  in  all  respects 
I  never  knew.      He  was  ausgebildet  within  and  without." 

The  following  extracts  are  from  letters  written 
to  Mrs.  Macleod  during  his  visit  to  Eussia.  An 
account  of  his  tour  and  its  impressions  appeared 
in  Good  Words  for  1861. 

St.  Petersbueg,  August  7,  1860. 

'*  Met  to-day  old  General  Wilson,  who  came  from 
Scotland  when  eight  years  old.  He  saw  the  Empress 
Catharine  in  1784. 

"  Now,  I  must  confess  that  St.  Petersburg  has  as  yet 
greatly  disappointed  me.  The  Neva  is  a  noble  river  :  St. 
Isaac's  is,  outside,  a  noble  church.  The  bridge  is  fine,  so 
are  the  granite  quays  ;  some  of  the  statues  fine — but  the 
town  as  a  whole  is  as  dust  to  Paris.  There  is  a  mixture 
of  big  and  mean  buildings— a  want  of  finish  which 
reminds  me  of  an  American  town. 

*'  The  heat  is  considerable  :  the  gentry  are  absent.  You 
see  almost  no  military,  no  music,  no  cafes,  no  fine  hotels  ; 
but  a  hot,  white,  glaring,  dead  slowness  in  the  place.  It 
is  sad,  not  joyous — heavy,  not  gay.  The  service  of  the 
Greek  Church  is  far  less  interesting  than  the  Roman 
Catholic." 


10*  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

August  10. 

"  We  have  met  seveical  Scotchmen.  I  saw  a  High- 
lander in  full  dress  in  church,  and,  to  his  astonishment, 
addressed  him  in  Gaelic.  Curiously  enough,  I  met  three 
men  together  at  a  work — one  was  from  the  Barony,  the 
second  from  Campbeltown,  the  third  from  Dalkeith. 

"  I  preached  the  night  before  last  on  the  top  of  a  gas 
meter  to  about  forty.  Most  of  the  people  were  fi'om 
Glasgow.  It  was  a  queer  sight.  I  sung  the  Psalms — no 
seats  or  books  ;  lots  of  Russian  workmen  stood  around  to 
hear  the  Scota  *  pope ' — as  the  priests  are  called.  '  My 
heart  is  full,'  said  a  Scotch  woman,  taking  my  hand,  '  I 
canna  speak.' 

*'  I  spent  three  hours  in  St.  Isaac's  on  Sunday  ;  got  my 
pocket  picked.  The  service  was  beyond  all  measure  tiresome. 
Crowds  of  priests  with  the  Metropohtan  at  their  head — 
most  magnificent  dresses.  Chanting  beautiful,  voices 
exquisite,  but  vast  sameness.  It  lasted  three  hours,  and 
was  followed  by  the  kissing  of  the  Cross  and  the  Bible, 
&c.  It  would  take  pages  to  give  you  an  idea  of  what  is 
not  worth  knowing.  It  is  externally  worse  than  Rome. 
Russian  life  I  cannot  see.  I  know  no  more  than  you  do 
of  the  country." 

Sweden,  August  31. 

"  I  am  here  in  a  station  on  the  railway,  by  the  margin 
of  a  wild  Highland  Loch,  having  come  out  to  visit  a  few 
Scotchmen.  I  left  St,  Petersburg  on  Tuesday  week,  with- 
out any  regret,  never  wishing  again  to  visit  that  slow, 
big,  iU-paved,  drosky-thumped,  expensive  capital. 

"  Thank  God,  there  are,  however,  signs  of  life  every- 
where. Thousands  of  the  Scriptures  are  being  circulated 
in  Russia.  Gospel  preaching  is  heard  in  Finland,  and 
in  Sweden.  The  dry  bones  are  everywhere  stirring, 
though  the  breath  has  come  to  a  few  only. 

"  The  system  of  the  Church  in  Sweden  is  quite  perfect 
of  its  kind.  No  dissent  is  permitted.  Every  child  is 
educated.  All  must  be  confirmed,  and  thoroughly  taught, 
and  examined  in  the  small  and  larger  catechism.  Every 
one  before  getting  a  situation,  even  a  servant,  must  pro- 


i86o — 6i.  103 

diice  a  certificate  in  which  is  marked  the  number  of  times 
and  the  last,  in  which  he  has  coinmunicated.  There, 
is  probably  not  a  person,  the  vilest,  who  has  not  such. 
What  is  the  result  ?  formality,  deadness,  and  an  immense 
amount  of  corruption.  The  longer  I  live  the  more  I  am 
convinced  that  the  more  perfect  the  government,  the  less 
it  should  interfere  with  religion.  If  men  won't  do  right 
because  it  is  right,  what  is  the  good  of  it  ?  Give  me 
freedom  with  all  its  risks." 

On  his  return  from  Eussiahis  attention  was  directed 
to  a  speech  made  by  a  distingnished.  and  much 
respected  professor  in  a  Scotch  University,  a  keen 
advocate  of  Total  Abstinence,  who  had  taken  Dr. 
Macleod's  tract,  '  Plea  for  Temperance,'  as  his  text 
at  a  meeting  of  the  League,  held  in  Glasgow. 

To  Professor : — 

Glasgow,  1860. 

"...  I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  taking  notice  of  all 
the  '  hard  speeches  '  which  have  been  uttered  against  me 
by  violent  and  unscrupulous  abstainers.  There  are,  I 
rejoice  to  know,  among  teetotalers  very  many  persons 
whom  I  highly  respect  tor  their  own  and  for  their  Avork's 
sake,  and  many  intimate  and  dear  friends  with  all  of 
whom  I  am  glad  to  co-operate  in  my  own  way,  according 
to  my  given  light  and  conscientious  convictions.  But  I 
pro "•  est  that  there  is  also  among  them,  a  rabble  of  intem- 
perate men,  revelling  in  the  pride  of  power  which  enables 
them  as  members  of  a  great  league,  and  under  cover  of 
an  exclusive  profession  of  self-sacrifice  for  the  public  weal, 
to  bully  the  timid  and  to  exercise  all  the  tyranny  possible 
in  a  free  country  over  every  man,  especially  a  Christian 
minister,  who  presumes  to  dissent  from  their  views  of 
duty  and  to  resist  their  demands,  or  who  dares  to  defy 
their  threats  and  despise  their  insinuations.  Such  men  I 
never  notice. 

"  But  it  is  otherwise  when  a  learned  and  Christian 
gentleman  like  you  attacks  me. 


104  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"...  Yes,  I  think  your  remarks  were  unfair,  uncalled  for, 
arid  calculated,  as  far  as  your  influence  and  words  extend, 
to  injure  my  character,  and  weaken  my  hands  in  labouring" 
among  the  workiug  classes  whose  well-being  is  dearer  to 
me  than  life.  I  must  ask  you  to  prove  your  assertions, 
and  to  justify  your  remarks  on  me  and  my  writings  more 
fully  than  you  have  done  in  your  speech,  and  upon  other 
principles  than  those  of  the  League.  I  do  not  ask  you  to 
explain  or  defend  the  *  principles '  of  total  abstinence,  to 
show  their  harmony  with  Scripture,  or  their  expediency 
as  rules  of  action  in  the  present  state  of  society.  All  this 
I  am  willing  for  argument's  sake  to  take  for  granted. 
But  what  I  demand  in  justice  from  your  hands  is  to  prove 
that  the  principles,  the  argument,  the  spirit,  or  any  one 
thing  else  in  my  tract  is  inconsistent  with  any  other  things 
in  the  Word  of  God,  which  I  recognise  as  '  the  only  rule 
of  faith  and  morals.'  Nay,  you  are  bound,  m  order  to 
justify  yourself,  to  prove  my  teaching  to  be  so  inconsis- 
tent as  to  have  warranted  you  in  exposing  it  as  you  have 
done,  and  in  holding  me  up  as  a  foe  of  temperance,  and  my 
tract  as  calculated  to  confirm  drunkards  in  their  vicious 
habits  ;  nay,  to  ruin  souls  temporally  and  eternally. 
Pray  keep  to  this  simj^le  theme.  Put  my  tract  and 
Scripture  side  by  side,  and  in  clear  language,  and  with 
truthful  criticism,  point  out  the  contradictions  between 
Bible  and  tract,  in  word,  princij)le,  or  spirit.  Wherein  do 
they  differ  ?  Wherein  am  I  not  of  Paul,  or  of  Cephas,  or 
of  Christ  ?  Is  it  in  my  exposition  and  denunciation  of 
the  crime  of  drunkenness  ?  Is  it  in  my  urgent  recom- 
mendation to  all  drunkards  to  adopt  total  abstinence  as 
essential  in  their  case  ?  Is  it  my  toleration  of  the  temj^erate 
use  of  drinks  by  Christian  men,  which  in  excess  would  in- 
toxicate ?  Is  it  in  admitting  that  in  certain  cases  total 
abstinence  should  be  adopted  by  sober  men  ?  Do  point 
out,  I  beg  of  you,  anything  I  have  written  which  Paul 
or  our  great  ]\Iaster  Avould  condemn,  and  which  warranted 
you  liolding  me  up  as  a  foe  of  temperance,  and  as  a  real, 
though  unintentional  helper  of  the  devil  in  his  work  of 
ruining  souls  temporally  and  eternally." 


i86o — bi.  105 

To  tlie  Same  : — 

1860. 
"...    I    do    not    for    one    moment     imagine    tliat 
you    intended    to    injure    my    character    or    usefulness ; 
but  I  believe  that  your  speech  tended  to  do  both,  upon 
grounds  which  seemed  to  me  unfair.     I  account  for  this 
in  my  own  mind   by  the  one-sided  influence,  pardon  me 
for  saying  so,  which  the  frequent   and  hard  riding  of  a 
hobby   produces  on    an    eager    and    earnest    rider,    mofe 
especially    A\hen   several   thousand  persons  at  an  annual 
meeting  hke  that  of  the  League,  are  galloping  fast  and 
furious  in  the  same  heat.      You  allude  also  to  what  you 
are  pleased   to  call  my  remarkable  speech  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  '59,  as  calculated  to  increase  the  danger  of 
my  teaching  as  given  in  the  tract.     I  remember  the  speech 
well.     My  remarks  made  on  that  occasion  with  reference 
to  the  reformation  of  the  working  classes,  proposed  by  total 
abstainers  from  alcohol  and  tobacco,  were  a  mere  episode 
in  a  very  long  speech  on  a  great  subject,  and  were  not  pre- 
meditated.     They  were  published  also  in  newspapers  in  a 
separate  shape,  and  unconnected  with  the  speech  of  which 
they  formed  a  very  unimportant  part.     For  some  time 
they  were  a  common   and  favourite  target  for  the  fiery 
darts  of  total  abstainers.     Your  allusion  to  them  affords 
me  an  opportunity  of  stating  that  after  mature  deliberation 
I  see  nothing  in  them  to  regret  or  retract.     It  is  still  my 
belief  that  we  must  apply  (and   in  this   you  will  agree 
with  me)  the  same  principles  in  seekmg  to  Christianize 
the   habits  of  rich    and  poor;    for,  to  use  a  vulgar  but 
expressive  simile,  '  Avhat  is  sauce  for  the  goose   is  sauce 
for  the  gander.'    Since  I  do  not  therefore  feel  myself  justi- 
fied, in  the  General  Assembly  or  out  of  it,  in  condemning 
the  rich  man  for  drinking  his  glass  of  wine  after  dmner, 
or  even  for  smoking  his  cigar  (to  the  horror  of  the  excel- 
lent Dean  of  Carlisle)  after  breakfast,  neither  can  I,  without 
hypocrisy  or  impertinence,  condemn  the  working  man,  who 
has  fewer  sources  of  physical  gratification,  for  taking  his 
glass  of  beer,  or  smoking  his  pipe  if  so  disposed,  at  his 
humble  fireside.     It  is  not  my  special  province  to  recom- 
mend either;  yet  neither  am  I  called  upon  as  a  Christian 


ro6  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

minister  to  condemn  cither.  But  I  am  not  ashamed  to 
confess  that  I  would  '  recommend '  the  working  man  who 
was  disposed  to  take  his  beer,  to  do  so  at  his  own  tireside, 
if  I  thereby  helped  to  keep  him  from  whisky,  above  all 
from  the  terrible  temptations  of  the  publichouse.  All  this 
I  expressed,  in  the  hearing  of  our  friend  Dr.  Guthrie,  upon 
oath  to  Her  Majesty's  Commissioners  when  giving  evidence 
with  reference  to  the  workmg  of  the  Forbes  Mackenzie  Act. 
For  I  lirmly  believe  that  one  way  of  hindering  men  from 
sinfully  abusing  God's  gifts,  is  to  help  them  to  use  them 
according  to  His  will  ;  and  that  all  reforms  Avhich  ignore 
the  lawful  gratification  of  those  universal  instincts,  phy- 
sical, mental,  and  moral,  which  God  has  implanted  in 
humanity,  are  essentially  false,  and  in  the  long  run  will 
fail  to  produce  even  the  S2')ecific  good  which  their  promoters 
intended,  or  will  develop  other  evils  equally,  if  not  more  de- 
structive of  the  well-being  and  happiness  of  man.  Hence 
my  conviction  is  becoming  every  day  more  profound,  that 
the  gospel,  as  revealing  God's  wdll  through  His  Son,  is  the 
only  true  and  safe  reform,  for  it  does  not  ignore  any  item  of 
man's  complex  nature,  but  equally  and  beautifully  deve- 
lops the  whole.  Believing  this,  I  have  humbly  endeavoured 
honestly  to  keep  my  fellow  men  in  accordance  with  what 
seems  to  me  to  be  the  will  of  God.  Hence  I  have  not 
contented  myself  with  always  protesting  against  a  positive 
evil,  but  have  also  declared  m  favour  of  its  opposite 
good,  that  so  God's  mercies  may  the  more  gladly  be 
accepted  and  appreciated,  and  the  devil's  perversion  of 
them  be  the  more  readily  rejected  and  detested, 

"  What  I  have  done  may  He  within  Himself  make  pure  ! 

"  One  word  more  before  bringing  this  correspondence 
to  a  close.  It  is  a  very  painful  thing  for  me  to  be  ever 
and  anon  forced  into  the  position  of  even  appearing  to  be 
an  enemy  to  total  abstainers  and  their  work.  Because  I 
have  written  a  tract  with  heart,  will,  and  strength  against 
drunkenness,  and  striven  earnestly  with  a  solemn  sense  of 
my  responsibility  before  God  to  accompHsh  its  cure,  on  Avhat 
I  believe  to  be  sound  Scri[)ture  principles — an  attempt 
Avhich  I  rejoice  to  know  has  in  many  cases  been  successful 
— does  it  not  seem  strange  and  hard  that  I,  of  all  men, 


i860 — 6i.  107 

sliould  be  so  frequently  held  up  as  a  foe,  a  quasi  friend, 
or  in  some  way  or  other  an  enemy,  of  those  who  with 
equal  earnestness,  and  I  hope  with  greater  success,  are 
labouring  in  the  same  cause  ?  If  I  have  spoken  or 
written  harshly  against  teetotalers,  you  know  it  is  not 
against  them  as  a  body,  or  against  their  work,  but  only 
against  the  mjustice  and  tyranny  of  the  fanatical  portion 
of  them,  who,  not  only  in  public  but  in  private,  are  in 
the  habit  of  attackmg,  sneering  at,  or  imputing  all  sorts 
of  '  sensual  and  empty '  motives  to  those  who  may  be 
quiet,  sober.  God-fearing  temperate  men,  guilty  of  no 
other  fault  than  refusing  to  become  total  abstainers. 
Now  all  I  demand  is,  that  I  and  others  who  act  on  tem- 
2)emte  principles — a  class  comprehending  the  vast  majority 
of  the  Christian  laity  and  clergy  of  this  country — shall 
be  treated  as  those  who  may  be  presumed,  in  the  eye  of 
charity,  to  have  as  much  common  sense,  sound  Christian 
principle,  and  self-denying  philanthropy  as  total  abstainers. 
Do  let  us  have  a  free  trade  in  those  Christian  virtues  of 
justice,  mercy,  and  kindness,  which  will  make  us  all 
healthier  and  happier  than  can  even  thin  French  wine. 
Protest  witli  me  against  all  monopolies  of  principle  and 
wisdom  by  any  sect  or  party.  At  the  same  time  I  am 
willing  to  acknowledge  that  it  is  a  very  serious  fault  if  I 
have  ever  spoken  or  written,  even  in  ignorance,  any  senti- 
ment which  could  induce  a  Christian  brother  conscien- 
tiously to  suspect  or  to  condemn  me,  or  to  look  upon  me 
in  any  other  light  than  as  a  sincere  friend  and  coadjutor 
of  every  man  who  seeks  to  elevate  our  working  classes, 
and  to  make  them  more  sober  and  God-fearmg." 

To  J.  M.  Ludlow,  Esq. : — 

Glasgow,  Decemler,  1860. 

"My  correspondence  has  fallen  so  far  behind  that  I 
have  had  to  pause  for  three  days  in  my  voyage,  yea  to 
sail  backwards  to  pick  up  the  wretched  craft.  I  am 
slowly  beating  to  windward,  every  sheet  to  the  breeze,  not 
to  speak  of  note  paper.  Do  you  understand  my  position 
from  this  description  ?  If  you  do,  pray  explain  it  to  me, 
for  I  don't.      I  only  know  that  I  am  in  a  mess — never 


io8 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


having  been  so  before — no,  never !  .  .  .  All  the  blessings 
of  the  season  be  with  you  !  Kiss  Hughes  through  the 
partition  for  me.  The  cold  here  is  looking  up  to  0,  like 
a  moon  over  its  head.  It  has  been  several  degrees 
Tninus !  I  have  been  sitting  swathed  for  some  days  in 
the  house  thus — 


I  expect  in  a  week  to 
be  thus — 


t 


To  Prmcipal  LETTCn : — 

*'  Do  send  me  an  article  on  comets,  or  on  the  co-sine. 


— tnkinf?  an  observfttion 
of  his  co-siue  the  conieU 


Original  sign. 


i860 — 6i.  109 

From,  his  Journal  : — 

Lauder,  February  22,  1861. 

•'  1  have  enjoyed  here  ten  days  of  extra  luxurious  rest  ! 
No  bell,  no  calls,  repose,  air,  exercise  (when  it  did  not 
pour)  !  I  have  read  a  ton  of  MSS. — all  Balaam  save  about 
one  pound.  I  have  written  eighty-five  letters,  and  so  I 
return  with  a  load  of  work  off  me,  and  a  load  of  gratitude 
on  me. 

"  I  have  been  reading  McCheyne.  How  thankful  I 
should  be  if  I  had  a  thousandth  part  of  his  devotedness. 
How  simple,  yet  how  difficult !  Who  can  doubt  human 
corruption  and  utter  vileness,  when  we  find  it  difficult  to 
devote  ourselves  to  God  !  " 

"June   3. — This   day  enter  my  fiftieth    year — half  a 

century  old ! 

'  Would  that  my  tongue  could  utter 
The  thoughts  that  arise  in  me.' 

"Verily  God's  mercies  are  more  than  can  be  num- 
bered ! 

"I  desire  Thee,  God,  to  help  me  to  live  more  use- 
fully, more  devotedly  to  Thee  ;  and,  above  all  other  things, 
to  have  fellowship  with  Christ  in  His  mind  towards  all 
men,  so  as  to  be  in  everything  a  fellow  worker  with 
Himself. 

"Many  good  people  don't  understand  the  purpose  of 
Good  Words,  and  so  it  sometimes  shocks  or  scratches  them 
— so  much  so  that  the  Tract  Society  of  Edinburgh  have, 
I  hear,  debated  how  far  they  can  patronise  it ;  and  I  know 
the  'Pure  Literature'  (pure  water,  and  sometimes  pure 
nonsense)  Society  of  London  won't  recommend  it.  They 
don't  think  '  Wee  Davie '  * — my  dear  wee  mamiie  ! — suffi- 
ciently up  to  the  mark  of  piety  because  it  omits  important 
truth — just  as  St.  James's  Epistle  and  various  other  books 
of  the  Bible  do  !  From  my  heart  I  regret  this,  because  I 
beUeve  it  is  the  fushionless,  unreal,  untruthful,  'pious' 
story    telling,  which   some   of   our    tract    societies    alone 

*  '  "Wee  Davie '  was  written  in  his  brother  Donald's  Manse  at 
Lauder,  during  a  snow-storm,  and  was  finished  after  two  sittings. 
When  Norman  tried,  on  its  completion,  to  read  it  aloud,  he  was  more 
than  once  so  choked  Avith  tears  that  he  had  to  lay  it  down. 


1 1  o  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MA  CLEOD. 

patronise,  that  has  produced  the  story  telling  without 
piety,  but  with  more  truth  and  more  trash,  which  is 
devoured  by  the  working  classes.  Now  I  have  a  purpose 
— a  serious,  solemn  purpose — in  Good  Words.  I  wish 
in  this  peculiar  department  of  my  ministerial  work  to 
which  I  have  been  '  called,'  and  in  which  I  think  I  have 
been  blessed,  *  to  become  all  things  to  all  men,  that  I 
might  by  all  means  gain  some.'  I  cannot,  therefore,  write 
stories  merely  as  a  literary  man,  to  give  amusement,  or  as 
works  of  art  only,  but  must  always  keep  before  me  the 
one  end  of  leading  souls  to  know  and  love  God.  ^lost 
popular  stories  are  based  on  the  natural ;  the  finest 
characters  are  assumed  to  have  been  the  growth  of  the 
old  man,  at  all  events,  to  have  been  irrespective  of  any 
knowledixe  or  recomition  of  Christ.  Now  I  believe,  in 
my  soul,  that  all  which  one  discovers  of  out-and-out 
good  among  men,  really  and  truly,  is  ever  found,  as  a 
fact,  to  have  arisen  from  the  recognition  of  the  super- 
natural,— a  power  coming  to  the  soul  through  Jesus 
Christ.  Therefore,  I  must  make  this  the  open  and  con- 
fessed source  of  strength  in  my  characters,  because  I  find 
it  in  society  as  well  as  in  the  Bible.  But,  again,  in  writing 
sketches  of  character,  1  must  also  give  that  mixture  of 
clay  which  all  of  us  have,  and  express  the  inner  life  in 
print,  just  as  I  see  it  expressed  in  actual  life ;  and  I  am 
bold  enough  to  assert  that  my  life  sketches  are  truer  far 
as  tracts  than  those  productions  are,  which  make  working 
men,  ay,  young  children,  speak  like  Eastern  patriarchs 
or  old  apostles.  I  may  be  wrong  in  my  idea  as  to  how 
Good  Words  should  be  conducted,  and  I  cannot,  of  course, 
reaHse  it  as  I  wish  to  do,  but  I  have  a  purpose  which  I 
believe  to  be  right,  and  can  therefore  pray  to  Christ  to 
bless  it ;  and  can  also  humbly,  but  firmly,  go  ahead,  Avhat- 
ever  the  religious  world  may  say.  I  know  that  I  seek 
so  to  conduct  it  that  I  would  not  be  ashamed  to  have  it 
beside  me  on  my  death-bed.  If  it  is  not  pleasing  to 
Christ,  from  my  soul  I  desu'e  that  He  may  bring  it  to 
nought." 


i860 — 6i.  Ill 

To  Miss  Mahgaret  Campbell  : — 

February,  1861. 

"  I  am  going  to  finish  *  Ned  Fleming.'  *  I  always 
have  your  brother  Dugald  before  me  as  my  hero — Ahi 
Memoria  !  How  are  they  gone,  '  the  old  familiar  faces  ! ' 
Yet  they  are  immortal  in  memory.  Those  Campbeltown 
times  and  these  old  companions  have  had  an  immense 
influence  on  my  life.  The  code  of  honour  which  emanated 
from  your  father's  roof  I  always  recognised  as  one  of  the 
great  powers  which  have  helped  to  build  me  up  to  what  I 
am.  We  never  told  a  lie !  Yes,  once,  when  we  broke 
Bell  Fisher's  crocks !     Innocent  souls  !  " 


To  J.  M.  Ltjdlow,  Esq. : — 

March  16,  1861. 
"The  articles  upon  the  Deaconesses  in  Good  Words 
seem  to  prepare  the  way  for  Avhat  you  intended  to  write, 
or  proposed  to  write,  upon  the  useful  sisterhoods  in  the 
Church  of  Rome.  I  shall  be  glad  to  have  your  views 
upon  that  most  useful  class  of  females  ;  but  do,  my  dear 
fellow,  remember  that  yon  are  writing  for  John  Smith  and 
his  wife,  up  one  'pair'  of  stairs,  after  a  tea-dinner  at 
6  o'clock  ;  John  indifferent  to  the  movements  of  the  starry 
heavens,  and  Mrs.  Smith  absorbed  in  the  toes  of  John's 
stockings.  Think  of  these  (if  you  can)  and  you  will  write 
splendidly." 

To  Miss  Keddie,  on  the  loss  of  hor  Sister  : — 

Adelaide  Place,  Sfarch  17,  1861. 
"  It  must  be  very  terrible  !  The  Saviour's  words  in 
His  sense  of  loneliness  amidst  the  croAvd  and  even  amidst 
His  own  disciples,  will  be  full  of  meaning  to  you,  '  I  am 
not  alone,  for  the  Father  is  with  me ! ' — but  for  that,  the 
universe  would  have  been  a  wilderness  to  His  heart. 
Our  human  hands  are  too  coarse  to  meddle  with  the  fine 
network  of  the  spirit.  We  break  and  confuse  oftener  than 
we  harmonise  and  heal.     But  He  can  do  it !  and  with  what 

*  In  tlie  "  Old  Lieutenant." 


112  IJFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

wisdom,  patience,  tenderness  and  holy  love  !  Oh  Avhat  a 
mockery  it  would  be  if  our  social  life  in  Christ  ended 
here !  It  hardly  begins  here.  Very  soon  you  and  your 
sister  will  meet,  and  when  you  talk  over  old  times,  you 
may  be  able  to  praise  and  bless  God  for  this  time,  now  so 
dark  and  trying.  Most  certain  it  is  that  God  by  such 
trials,  when  we  wait  on  Him,  trust  Him  and  seek  His 
kingdom,  will  purify  us,  and  make  us  instruments  more  fit 
to  glorify  Him." 

June  3,  1861. 

"  My  beloved  Parents, — 

"  Few  men  are  able  to  begin  a  note  with  such 
words  when  entermg  their  fiftieth  year !  I  owe  it  to 
God  to  acknowledge  that  one  of  the  greatest  mercies  in  a 
life  which  has  been  one  continued  mercy,  has  been  to 
possess  such  parents,  and  that  they  have  been  spared  to 
journey  with  me  through  the  wilderness  for  nearly  half  a 
century,  and  that  their  presence  has  always  been  a  constant 
light  of  love  which  never  once  fiickered.  Most  deeply  do 
I  appreciate  the  inestimable  blessing  thus  bestowed  on  me 
and  on  their  children's  children. 

"  It  is  not  likely  that  if  I  am  spared  to  see  another 
decade  of  my  life,  I  shall  have  both  or  either  of  you  to 
address.  But  oh !  the  mercy  of  entering  old  age  with 
one's  parents  still  alive,  and  then  to  pass  from  old  age  to 
eternal  youth  in  the  good  hope  of  meeting  them  again  for 
ever. 

"  If  my  birthdays  now  are  more  sobered  than  they 
were  in  early  youth  they  are  far  more  joyful.  I  every 
year  bless  God  with  a  fuller  heart  that  I  exist  and  have 
lived  in  such  an  atmosphere  of  earthly  love.  Let  me  have 
your  last,  as  I  have  had  your  early  prayers,  that  I  may 
fulfil  my  calling,  and  that,  as  a  man  with  innumerable 
shortcomings  I  may  prove  in  the  main  true  and  loyal  to 
the  best  of  Masters. 

"  Full  of  awe  and  thanksgivings  for  my  mercies  and 
full  of  love  to  you  both, 

"  I  am  your  devoted  and  affectionate  first-born." 


i860 — 6i.  ,,, 

To  J.  M.  LiTDLOW,  Esq.: — 

August,  1861. 
"Comfort  me  b}^  scolding  me.  Your  genuine  good- 
ness, forbearance,  and  forgiving-heartedness,  give  me  posi- 
tive pain  and  make  me  hate  myself,  which  is  not  com- 
fortable. Out  upon  public  life,  magazines,  and  all  articles  .' 
*  I  would  I  were  a  weaver  ! ' 

"  But  I  really  had  not  another  day  in  London  to 
see  you.  I  was  worried  to  death  by  Dowagers  and 
Dogmatics. 

"  You  know  why  the  town  clerk  of  Dunfermline  called 
the  Provost  dog-matic  ?  Because  '  the  bodie  got  so  cross 
in  an  argument  about  a  Bible  doctrine,  that  he  hited  my 
thoomb  / ' 

"  A  thousand  thanks  for  your  kindness  in  not  '  bitino- 
my  thoomb,'  but  giving  me  your  hand. 

"  As  to  the  New  Magazine,  I  have  nothing  whatever  to 
say  against  any  other  craft  trying  to  cross  the  wide  ocean 
along  with  my  own.  There  is  room  for  all.  I  buy  two 
or  three  penny  papers  now,  instead  of  one.  So  is  it  with 
cheap  magazines,  if  good. 

"  My  calling  is  the  gospel,  to  give  myself  wholly  to  it, 
as  I  know  it  and  believe  it.  For  this  I  live,  and  for  this 
I  could  die.  Therefore  so  long  as  I  have  Good  Words 
there  shall  be  '  preaching '  in  it,  direct  or  indirect,  and 
no  shame,  or  sham,  about  it.  This,  along  with  my  secu- 
larity,  will  keep  it,  so  far,  distinct  from  other  periodicals. 
"The  sin  of  my  articles  is  in  what  they  do  not  say. 
'  Wee  Davie,'  poor  little  fellow  !  leaves  out  several  doc- 
trines. They  say  that  the  expression,  '  Rest  her  soul  in 
peace ! '  is  so  Popish,  being  a  prayer  for  the  dead,  that  it 
is  '  most  dangerous.' 

"  I  have  published,  with  many  corrections,  my  sermon 
(not  story)  of  Wee  Davie,  and  12,000  sold  in  a  week. 
It  is  intended  for  the  working  men  of  Scotland  chieflv." 


VOL.  II. 


114  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  tbo  Egv.  W.  F.  Stevenson  :— 

TiaH-NA-BRUAcn,  Kyles  of  Bute,  August  14,  1861. 

"I  must  try  a  volume  of  addresses  to  the  working 
classes,  or  '  Barony  Sermons.'*  The  spirit  and  tcacliing  of 
the  Magazine  form  a  constant  subject  of  anxiety.  I  Avant 
to  intone  all  its  services  more  with  the  direct  Christian 
spirit,  and  shall  do  so,  or  give  it  up. 

*'  As  to  Ned,  the  story  is  a  serious  affair  with  me.  I 
wish  to  show  the  Christian  life  working  in  a  boy  placed 
in  rather  trying  circumstances,  and  becoming  stronger 
through  falls  and  trials — to  illustrate,  in  short,  a  life  begun, 
like  that  of  many,  in  the  secret  recesses  of  early  life,  and 
disciplined  by  Christ  through  a  long  course  of  years.  I 
don't  find  the  process,  as  described  in  most  '  evangelical ' 
tracts,  by  which  many  men  become  at  last  strong  in 
Christ,  to  be  true  to  life  as  I  see  it,  so  that  good  boys  in 
tracts  are  not  like  those  I  have  ever  met  with. — Ned  is. 
Along  with  this  I  Avish  to  excite  interest  in  sailors,  and  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  those  also  who  may  hear  for  the  sake 
of  the  story.  I  cannot  think  that  I  shall  utterly  fail,  or 
injure  the  cause  dearer  to  me  than  life  itself,  when  I 
know  that  I  have  only  truth  in  view,  and  daily  pray  to 
Christ  to  guide  me.  Oh  !  my  dear  friend,  from  wij  heart 
I  say  it,  I  would  sooner  die  than  consciously  injure 
that  cause  by  anything  I  write,  should  it  gain  me  the 
fame  of  the  greatest  names  in  literature !  As  a  literary 
production  Ned  is  a  twopenny  affair,  but  I  am  encouraged 
to  write  it  as  a  medium  of  preaching  Christ." 


To  the  Same  : — 

November  6,  1861. 

"  I  sincerely  thank  you  for  your  criticisms  on  Ned. 
I  accept  what  you  say  about  the  humanity  of  the 
story.  I  wished  to  draw  men  towards  me  on  the  human 
ground,  that  so  they  might  go  up  higher  with  me  towards 
super-human  good.  The  story  points  to  that  direction. 
The  hands  of  Esau  may  lead  wild  men  to  listen  to  the 
voice  of  Jacob." 

*  Afterwards  published  under  the  title,  "  Simple  Truths." 


i860 — 6i. 


'5 


To  Colonel  Dreghorn  (in  answer  to  a  letter  reminding  him  of 
a  promise  to  preach  a  sermon  for  the  Society  for  the  Prevention 
of  Cruelty  to  Animals) : — 

Glasgow,  1861. 

"  I  beseech  you  to  have  mercy  on  me  as  an  animal,  and 
get  some  other  brute,  equally  willing  and  more  able  than 
I  am,  to  preach  your  sermon,  I  have  seven  sermons  to 
preach  for  collections  in  other  churches  before  January — 
and  I  am  engaged  three  times  every  Sunday  till  April — 
besides  tons  of  other  work  on  my  back.  I  ask  mercy  with 
the  donkey,  dog,  or  carter's  horse.  My  burthen  is  heavier 
than  I  can  bear.  Let  the  deputy  chairman  spare  his  lash. 
I  have  no  power  to  bite  or  kick,  I  can  only  groan. 

"  I'll  feed  the  next  starved  dog  handsomely,  shelter  for 
a  week  the  first  wandering  cat  I  meet,  even  put  my 
shoulder  to  the  next  over-loaded  cart  of  coal,  or  iron  I  see. 
I'll  listen  for  two  hours  to  'David  Bell.'  I'll  do  any  deed 
of  mercy  laid  upon  me  that  I  am  fit  for,  if  you  spare  my 
back  while  editor  of  Good  Words.  In  the  name  of 
every  hard-used  brute,  lay  or  clerical,  animal  or  spiritual, 
I  crave  your  mercy. 

"  Yours  in  trouble." 

In  answer  to  Colonel  Dreghorn's  repeated  request : — 

1861. 

"Absence  in  Edinburgh  along  with  the  off-putting  of 
the  flesh,  has  prevented  me  from  replying  to  your  note. 
I  shall  honestly  try  to  be  with  you  if  possible  before  the 
meeting  is  over  to  say  a  few  good  words  for  my  brother 
donkeys,  and  all  animals  who  like  myself  are  too  severely 
handled  and  cudgelled  by  the  public.  In  such  suffering 
you  will  I  know  sympathise." 


To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

MONALTRIE,  September  9,  1S61. 

"Dear  kind  Mrs.  Fuller  Maitland  drove  me  to  Crathie 
on  Saturday.  The  Manse  Avas  full,  i.e.,  the  minister,  with 
a  son  and  two  grown-up  daughters,  a  lady  from  England 
with  grown-up  son  and  daughter,  a  gentleman  from  Edin- 
burgh and  myself.      How  were  they  put  up  ?     The  walls 

I   2 


1 15  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

know.  I  don't.  But  as  I  always  say,  no  Manse  was  ever 
so  full,  but  that  (like  a  'bus)  one  more  could  bo  taken 
in.  I  preached — by  no  means  comfortably  to  myself.  I 
could  not  remember  one  sentence  (literally)  and  had  to 
trust  to  the  moment  for  expression.  Lord  John  Russell 
there.  But  the  Queen  was  most  cordial  in  her  thanks  for 
the  comfort  I  gave  her,  and  commanded  me  to  return  next 
year.  So  I  must  indulge  the  hope  that  it  was  blessed  far 
more  than  I  could  believe,  judging  from  my  own  feeling. 
I  preached  in  the  evening  for  Anderson.  I  dined  at  the 
Castle,  and  spent  really  a  charming  evening.  I  had  a 
long  walk  with  Lady  Augusta  Bruce  during  the  interval, 
and  learned  much  from  her  about  the  death  of  that  noble, 
loving  woman,  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  and  of  the  Queen's 
grief  She  was  a  most  God-fearing  woman.  I  have  been 
presented  by  the  Queen  with  a  delightful  volume  of  hymns 
which  her  mother  was  fond  of  The  Queen's  distress  was 
deep  and  very  bitter,  but  in  every  respect  such  as  a 
daughter  ought  to  feel.  The  suddenness — unexpected  by 
even  Sir  J.  Clarke — of  course  shocked  her.  At  dinner 
were  present  Princess  Alice  and  her  yia?ice,  Prince  Louis 
of  Hesse,  Princess  Hohenlohe,  the  Queen's  half-sister — an 
admirable  woman.  T  sat  beside  Prince  Alfred,  a  fine 
gentlemanly  sailor.  We  had  lots  of  talk.  After  dinner 
I  had  a  most  interesting  conversation,  for  about  half-an- 
hour,  with  the  Prince  Consort,  and  a  good  long  one  with 
the  Queen.     In  short,  it  was  a  most  agreeable  evening." 


From  his  Journal  : — 

"Last  night  of  1861. — The  happiest  time  I  have  had 
yet  at  Balmoral  was  this  last  with  the  dear  good  Prince, 
whom  I  truly  mourn. 

"  The  death  !  What  an  event  for  the  nation  !  I  have 
received  a  letter  from  Lady  Augusta  Bruce,  which  is  very 
delightful,  although  sad." 


CHAPTEE  XYL 

1862—63. 

"IS  theological  views  were  gradually  expanding 
into  a  more  spiritual  and  living  apprehension 
of  the  purpose  of  God  in  Christ.  The  character  of 
God  as  a  Father  had  always  been  the  central  article  of 
his  creed,  but  there  were  wider  applications  of  it  into 
which  his  keen  sympathies  were  constantly  leading 
him.  The  subject  of  the  atonement  of  Christ  much 
engrossed  his  thoughts,  and  although  he  had  been 
long  familiar  with  the  views  held  on  that  subject  by 
his  cousin.  Dr.  J.  Macleod  Campbell,  he  now  found 
in  them  new  meaning  and  adopted  them  more  fully. 
*  As  far  as  it  goes  his  teaching  seems  to  shed  a  light 
on  the  nature  of  Christ's  sufferings,  which  cannot  pass 
away,  because  springing  out  of  the  eternal  nature  of 
things.'  He  may  afterwards  have  diverged,  in  regard 
to  some  minor  points,  from  what  Campbell  taught  him, 
but  he  certainly  never  recurred  to  the  conception  of 
the  sufferings  of  our  Lord  as  penal,  or  to  those  notions 
of  the  nature  of  salvation  which  it  involves.     Feelinor 

o 

that  fresh  light  had  been  shed  on  the  purpose  of  God 
in  Christ  he  advanced  hopefully  into  new  regions  of 
thought. 


.  iS  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


From  his  JouRNAli : — 

"  Aj)ril  20,  Sunday. — I  am  confined  to  the  house  by 
bronchitis,  and  enjoy  deeply  and  thankfully  this  blessed 
cahn,  this  holy  rest.  AVhat  a  gift  from  God  is  this  holy 
day  !  I  thank  God  that  during  these  last  few  years  I 
enjoy  the  pulpit  more  and  more,  and  find  it  a  rest  to  my 
spirit  in  proportion  as  I  seek  in  the  bonds  of  Christ's  love 
to  do  good,  and  to  make  others  partakers  of  the  rest  in  Him. 
I  have  been  seldom  in  life  so  exercised  in  spirit  as  during 
the  Sundays  which  preceded  the  communion  and  on  the 
communion  Sunday  itself,  in  preaching  on  the  Atonement, 
according  to  the  view  taken  of  it  by  my  beloved  John 
Campbell.  As  far  as  I  am  capable  of  knowing  myself,  I  can 
declare  before  Him  who  knows  me  truly,  that  I  sought  by 
earnest  prayer,  patient  reading,  and  meditation,  to  know 
God's  revealed  will  with  reference  to  Christ's  work.  It  has 
been  a  subject  which  has  more  or  less  occupied  my  thoughts 
for  years,  and  I  never  allowed  myself,  I  think,  to  be  carried 
away  by  mere  outWcird  authority,  but  sought  to  see  it  and 
so  to  possess  it ;  for  seeing  (spiritually)  is  believing.  I 
therefore  always  preached  what  I  saw  and  believed ;  and 
I  never  did  see  the  truth  as  John  Campbell  sees  it  until 
lately.  I  believed,  and  still  believe,  that  what  Jesus  did 
as  an  atoning  Saviour  He  did  for  all,  because  God  com- 
mands all  men  to  believe  in  Him  as  their  Saviour,  and 
because  He  necessarily  desires  all  men  to  be  saved,  i.e.  to 
be  holy  like  Himself.  But  what  I  never  could  see  was 
the  philosophy  of  the  atonement,  or  that  element  in 
Christ's  work  which  constituted  the  atonement.  The 
usual  method  of  explaining  it  (commonly  called  'the 
Battle  of  the  Attributes  '),  as  penal  suffering  from  God's 
wrath,  and  so  satisfying  divine  justice,  I  could  not  con- 
tradict, but  could  not  see  and  rejoice  in  as  true.  So 
I  was  disposed  to  allow  the  whole  thing  to  remain  a 
mystery — a  fact,  revealed  as  the  ground  of  certain  bless- 
ings which  I  felt  I  needed  and  thanlvfully  received,  but 
without  any  necessary  connection  being  seen  between  what 
Christ  did  and  what  I  received.  But,  thank  God,  this  is 
(lawuing  on  me,  and  what  I  see  now  can  never,  I  think, 


i862 — 63.  119 

be  taken  from  me,  for  conscience  has  its  (moral)  mathe- 
matics as  well  as  the  reason." 

He  was  at  this  time  engaged  in  preparing  the 
*  Old  Lieutenant '  for  republication  in  a  separate  form. 
He  was  quite  aware  of  the  defective  structure  of  the 
story,  but  he  was  certainly  disappointed  when  some 
of  the  reviews,  whose  criticisms  he  most  respected, 
failed  to  discover  its  aim  and  to  recognize  in  its 
characters  portraits  from  real  life.  Indeed,  so  dis- 
heartened was  he  by  the  reception  of  his  first  serious 
attempt  in  the  domain  of  fiction,  that,  for  a  while,  he 
was  resolved  it  should  be  the  last. 

To  J.  M.  Ludlow,  Esq. : — 

May,  1862. 

"  What  I  should  like  you  to  do  with  my  'Old  Lieutenant' 
would  be — (1)  to  correct  the  Scotch  or  Scotticisms,  for  I 
never  was  taught  English  ;  (2)  to 
draw  your  pen  through  any  sentence 
or  expression  you  think  better  out 
than  in.  As  for  the  '  'igh  hart,'  it 
must  remain  in  nuhibus,  as  '  low  hart ' 
is  my  line.  I  know  I  am  getting  into 
a  fearful  mess  among  the  critics  for 
pubhshing  it. 

"  I  know  the  book  has  no  art  in 
its  plot,  for   alas !  I  had  to  write   it  "^ 

from  month  to  month,  always  thinking  the  next  month 
would  end  it.  It  is  besides  absurd  to  write  a  story, 
as  I  intentionally  did,  for  the  j^reaching  in  it,  instead  of 
preaching  by  it.  But  I  laiow  the  characters  are  genuine, 
and  true  to  nature,  tor  they  were  all  as  living  beings  who 
possessed  me,  and  there  is  not  one  that  does  not  stand  on 
his  own  legs  as  real  flesh  and  blood.  I  deny  with  my 
whole  soul  and  strength  that  the  teaching  is  unhealthy. 
It  is  not  true  that  whatever  man  asks  lor  in  prayer  he  gets 
in  the  form  in  which    he   asks  it.       The  reviewer   dops 


120  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

not  tnist  in  God  as  I  do.  I  mean  by  this,  a  trust  in  God 
for  whatever  God  gives.  He  seems  to  think  that  it  is  trust 
for  some  specific  blessing.  And  what  did  poor  Ned  ever 
get,  except  his  wife  ?  I  tried  to  picture  a  lad  neither  a 
frmff  nor  a  Methodist — a  good,  honest  fellow,  trained  up 
sensibly  and  living  honestly,  and  as  any  young  man  may 
live,  and  as  many  do.  But  nowadays,  it  seems,  young  men 
must  be  either  blackguards,  or  perfect  saints.  I  will  main- 
tain that  it  is  a  picture  of  real  life,  though  not  perhaps  of 
London  life,  with  its  spasms.  And  the  critic  says  I  don't 
loiow  the  sea  !  I  wish  I  met  him  on  some  deck.  The  funny 
thing  is  that  the  Examiner  of  Sea  Captains  in  Liverpool  was 
so  astonished  at  my  loiowledge  of  the  sea  that  he  begged 
to  know  how  I  got  it,  or  if  a  seaman  had  written  the  sea 
parts  for  me.      If  I  know  anything,  I  know  about  a  ship." 


To  J.  M.  Ludlow,  Esq.  : — 

London,  1862. 

"  Every  mystery  will,  I  presume,  be  solved  some  time  or 
other — perhaps  our  not  meeting  ma}^  be  explamed  to- 
morrow.    In  the  meantime  it  is  mysterious. 

"  I  paced  betore  the  Croydon  Station  for  nearly  an  hour. 
I  studied  every  beard,  conned  every  intellectual  coun- 
tenance (there  were  but  five  worthy  of  the  name)  till  multi- 
tudes had  departed — and  you  came  not.  So,  bag  in  hand, 
I  have  taken  refuge  in  Good  Words  office.  I  mourn 
over  the  tempting  invitations  I  have  refused  to  be  Avith 
you  !  I  mourn  the  loss  of  not  seeing  you  and  Hughes  ! 
But  I  mourn  most  not  having  seen  your  mother ! 

"  If  I  had  only  consulted  the  Directory  !     But  now — 


"It'iuUup." 


"  Yours  in  sorrow." 


l862 63.  121 

To  tlie  Eev.  W.  F.  Stevenson  : — 

Odoher  20,  1862. 
"  I  am  pretty  well  convinced,  from  the  reviews  received 
to-day  of  '  Old  Lieutenant '  in  the  London  Revieiu  and 
Spectator,  that  I  am  not  able  to  be  of  use  in  that  Ime. 
The  book  is  killed  and  buried  for  ever,  though  self-love 
makes  me  thmk  it  cannot  be  so  bad  as  they  make  it.  I 
shall,  in  the  meantime,  get  Avhat  good  I  can  to  my  own 
spirit  by  the  reviews,  and  learn  to  seek  quiet  and  peace 
more  in  that  still  region  of  labour  before  God  which  earth 
cannot  disturb." 

The  Queen  had  now  come  to  Scotland  for  the  first 
time  since  the  death  of  the  Prince  Consort,  and  Dr. 
Macleod  was  summoned  to  Balmoral.  He  had  been 
profoundly  moved  by  the  death  of  the  Prince,  whom 
he  had  regarded  as  'an  ideal  of  all  that  is  pure, 
truthful,  unselfish,  and  wise ;'  and  from  the  confidence 
with  which  he  had  been  honoured  by  his  Sovereign, 
he  was  able  deeply  to  sympathise  with  her  in  her 
grief. 

Although  his  journals  contain  many  interesting 
accounts  of  his  different  visits  at  Court  and  to 
members  of  the  Eoyal  family,  it  is  in  harmony  with 
the  reticence  he  always  observed  to  give  only  such 
extracts  as  may  indicate  the  confidence  reposed  in 
him,  and  the  loyalty  of  his  services. 

He  ever  recognised  the  grave  responsibility  which 
these  duties  entailed.  'When  I  think  how  the  cha- 
racter of  princes  affects  the  history  of  the  world,  and 
how  that  character  may  possibly  be  affected  by  what 
I  say,  and  by  the  spirit  in  which  I  speak  and  act,  I 
feel  the  work  laid  upon  me  to  be  very  solemn.' 

'  Your  royal  highness  knows,'  he  said  to  a  younger 


122  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

member  of  the  family,  whom  lie  was  endeavouring  to 
comfort  after  the  death  of  the  Prince,  '  that  I  am  here 
as  a  pastor,  and  that  it  is  only  as  a  pastor  I  am  per- 
mitted to  address  you.  But  as  I  wish  you  to  thank 
me  when  we  meet  before  God,  so  would  I  addi*css  you 
now.' 

*  I  am  never  tempted,'  he  writes,  '  to  conceal  any 
conviction  from  the  Queen,  for  I  feel  she  sympathizes 
with  what  is  true,  and  likes  the  speaker  to  utter  the 
truth  exactly  as  he  believes  it.' 

Trom  his  Jourxal  : — 

''May  8,  18G2. — I  am  commanded  by  the  Queen  to 
visit  at  Balmoral  from  Saturday  till  Tuesday. 

"  Few  things  could  be  more  trying  to  me  than,  in 
present  circumstances,  to  meet  my  afflicted  Sovereign  face 
to  face.  But  God,  Avho  calls  me,  will  aid  me.  !My  hope 
is  in  Him,  and  He  will  not  put  me  to  shame.  May  He 
guide  me  to  speak  to  her  fitting  truth  as  to  an  immortal 
being,  a  sister  in  humanity,  a  Queen  Avith  heavy,  heavy 
trials  to  endure,  and  such  duties  to  perform  !  May  I  be 
kept  in  a  right  spirit,  loving,  peaceful,  truthful,  wise,  and 
S3^mpathizing,  carrying  the  burthen  of  her  who  is  my 
sister  in  Christ  and  my  Sovereign.  Father !  Speak  by  me  !" 

To  ;Ntrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

Balmoral,  May  12,  1862. 

"  You  vill  return  thanks  with  me  to  our  Father  in 
heaven  for  His  mercy  and  goodness  in  having  hitherto 
most  surely  guided  me  during  this  time  -svhich  I  telt  to 
be  a  most  solemn  and  important  era  in  my  life.  All  has 
passed  well — that  is  to  say,  God  enabled  me  to  speak  in 
private  and  in  public  to  the  Queen  in  such  a  way  as 
seemed  to  me  to  be  truth,  the  truth  in  God's  sight :  that 
which  I  believed  she  needed,  though  I  felt  it  would  be 
very  trying  to  her  spirit  to  receive  it.  And  what  fills  me 
with  deepost  thanksgiving  is,  that  she  has  received  it,  and 


l862 — 63.  123 

written  to  me  siicli  a  kind,  tender  letter  of  thanks  for  it, 
which  shall  be  treasured  in  my  heart  while  I  live. 

"  Prince  Alfred  sent  for  me  last  night  to  see  him  before 
going  away.  Thank  God  I  spoke  fully  and  frankly  to  him 
— we  were  alone — of  his  difficulties,  temptations,  and  of 
his  father's  example  ;  what  the  nation  expected  of  him  ; 
how,  if  he  did  God's  will,  good  and  able  men  would  rally 
round  him ;  how,  if  he  became  selfish,  a  selfish  set  of 
flatterers  would  truckle  to  him  and  ruin  him,  while  caring 
only  for  themselves.  He  thanked  me  for  all  I  said,  and 
wished  me  to  travel  with  him  to-day  to  Aberdeen,  but  the 
Queen  wishes  to  see  me  again.  I  am  so  thankful  to  have 
the  Duke  of  Argyll  and  my  dear  friend  Lady  Augusta 
Bruce  here.  The  Duchess  of  Athole  also — a,  most  delight- 
ful, real  woman." 


From  his  Jouiii!^AL  : — 

"May  14<th. — Let  me  if  possible  recall  some  of  the 
incidents  of  these  few  days  at  Balmoral,  which  in  after  years 
I  may  read  with  interest,  when  memory  grows  dim 

"After  dinner  I  was  summoned  unexpectedly  to  the 
Queen's  room.  She  was  alone.  She  met  me,  and  with 
an  unutterably  sad  expression  which  filled  my  eyes  with 
tears,  at  once  began  to  speak  about  the  Prince.  It  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  recall  distinctly  the  sequence  or  sub- 
stance of  that  long  conversation.  She  spoke  of  his  ex- 
cellencies— his  love,  his  cheerfulness,  how  he  was  every- 
thing to  her  ;  how  all  now  on  earth  seemed  dead  to  her. 
She  said  she  never  shut  her  eyes  to  trials,  but  liked  to 
look  them  in  the  face  ;  how  she  would  never  shrink  from 
duty,  but  that  all  was  at  present  done  mechanically ;  that 
her  highest  ideas  of  purity  and  love  were  obtained  from 
him,  and  that  God  could  not  be  displeased  with  her  love. 
But  there  was  nothing  morbid  in  her  grief  I  spoke  freely 
to  her  about  all  I  felt  regarding  him — the  love  of  the 
nation  and  their  sympathy  ;  and  took  every  opportunity  of 
bringing  before  her  the  reality  of  God's  love  and  sym- 
pathy, her  noble  calling  as  a  Queen,  the  value  of  her  life  to 
the  nation,  the  blessedness  of  prayer. 


124  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  Sunday  tlie  whole  household,  Queen,  and  Royal 
Family  were  assembled  at  10.15.  A  temporary  pulpit 
was  erected.  I  began  with  a  short  prayer,  then  read 
Job  xxiii..  Psalm  xlii.,  beginning  and  end  of  John  xiv., 
and  end  of  Revelations  vii.  After  the  Lord's  Prayer  I 
ex[)Oundcd  Hebrews  xii.  1-12,  and  concluded  with  prayer. 
The  whole  service  was  less  than  an  hour.  I  then  at  12 
preached  at  Crathie  on  'All  things  are  ours.'  In  the 
evening  at  Crathie  on  '  Awake  thou  that  sleepest.'  The 
household  attended  both  services. 

"  On  Monday  I  had  another  long  interview  with  the 
Queen.  She  was  much  more  like  her  old  self — cheerful, 
and  full  of  talk  about  j^ersons  and  things.  She  of  course 
spoke  of  the  Prince.  She  said  that  he  always  believed  he 
was  to  die  soon,  and  that  he  often  told  her  that  he  had 
never  any  fear  of  death. 

"  I  saw  also  the  Princesses  Alice  and  Helena  ;  each  by 
herself. 

"  No  words  of  mine  can  express  the  deep  sympathy  I 
have  for  these  mourners.  From  my  soul  I  shall  ever  pray 
for  them  that  God  would  make  them  His  own  dear  chil- 
dren. 

"  What  a  drive  wo  had  on  Monday  up  to  the  falls  of 
the  Garbhalt !  The  great  pines,  the  mossy  flooring 
of  the  woods,  the  pure  streams,  the  herds  of  deer,  the 
aivful  purple  of  the  hills,  the  white  snow  on  their  tops, 
the  enamelled  grass  so  characteristic  of  this  season,  the 
marvellous  Hghts !  Oh  what  a  glorious  revelation  of  God. 
I  returned  yesterday  full  of  praise. 

"  The  more  I  learn  about  the  Prince  Consort,  the  more 
T  agree  with  what  the  Queen  said  to  me  about  him  on 
Monday,  '  that  he  really  did  not  seem  to  comprehend  a 
selfish  character,  or  what  selfishness  Avas.'  And  on  what- 
ever day  his  public  life  is  revealed  to  the  world,  I  feel 
certain  this  will  be  recognized. 

"  Dr.  Becker,  to  whom  I  was  complaining  of  Humboldt's 
treatment  of  the  Prince,  told  me  that  the  only  thing  the 
Prince  said  or  wrote  about  it  to  him  was,  *  I  am  sorry  for 
poor  Humboldt.'  He  felt  that  such  things  injured  one 
whom  he  so  much  loved  and  admired." 


i862 — 63.  125 

At  the  end  of  May,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Macleod 
and  his  brother  Donakl,  he  took  a  six  weeks'  tour  in 
Italy,  crossing  Mont  Cenis  to  Turin,  and  thence  by 
Genoa  and  the  Eiviera  to  Florence,  Bologna,  Venice, 
Milan,  and  the  Italian  Lakes,  and  returning  home  by 
Courmayeur,  the  Great  St.  Bernard  and  Basle.  His 
impressions  of  Italy  were  afterwards  recorded  in 
Good  Words. '^ 

To  Ms  Father  : — 

Florence,  June  3,  1862. 

"  It  would  take  months  of  patient  study  to  get  even 
a  general  idea  of  the  glories  of  art  in  Florence  ;  we  have 
not  a  shadow  of  an  idea  in  Scotland  of  what  art  is.  In 
this  respect  it  is  a  barbarous  country ;  yet,  in  a  better 
respect,  it  is  as  heaven  to  this.  I  wish  you  saw  Popery  here 
to  loathe  it. 

"  I  preached  last  Sunday.  Protestantism  hardly  exists. 
Little  is  doing  or  can  be  done.  God  alone  can  help  this 
wretched  country.  How  I  know  not,  nor  can  see.  All 
is  beautiful  and  grand,  but  man  and  his  morals." 

To  his  Fatter  and  Motiier  : — 

Lake  Maggiore,  Sunday,  June  15. 

"  Tlie  two  places  I  enjoyed  most  were  Venice  and  two 
days'  rest  at  Bellaggio,  on  the  Lake  of  Como.  The  beauty 
is  really  inconceivable.  For  wild  and  majestic  grandeur 
I  admire  our  own  Highlands  most,  but  for  surpassing  and 
majestic  beauty,  this. 

"  I  preached  in  the  HecJcla  steamer  to  the  Jack  Tars  on 
Sunday  last.  Campsie  men  and  Glasgow  men  were  on 
board.  It  was  a  pleasant  day.  The  glory  of  Venice 
cannot  be  imagined." 

"  Baveno,  Sunday  evening. — We  crossed  the  lake  to- 
day, and  have  had  a  nice  service.  I  read  the  Liturgy 
and  preached.  We  had  a  delightful  walk  through  the 
vineyards,  and  enjoyed  the  snowy  Alps  in  the  distance." 

♦  "  Eambling  Notes  of  a  Ramble  in  Italy." — Good  Words,  1862. 


126 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


To  A.  Strahax,  Esq. : — 

Monastery  of  the  Great  St.  Bernard, 
June  21,  1862. 

"  Ere  I  bid  farewell  to  the  world,  I  wish  to  bid  fare- 
well to  thee.  I  have  resolved  to  join  the  Brothers  of 
St.  Bernard.  All  is  arranged.  I  find  that  they  never  heard 
of  Presbyterian  ism,   Free,  or  U.  P.   Kirk  ;   know  nothing 

even  of  Dr.  or  Dr.  ,  and  have  kept  up  service 

here,  helping  the  poor  and  needy,  for  800  yeai*s.  I 
find  I  can  live  here  for  nothing,  never  preach,  but  only 
chant  Latin  prayers  ;  that  they  never  attend  public 
meetincrs,  never  gfo  to  Exeter  Hall  nor  to  a  General 
Assembly,  but  attend  to  the  big  dogs  and  the  travellers 
of  all  nations.  In  short,  it  is  the  very  place  for  me,  and 
I  have  craved  admission,  and  hope  to  be  received  to-night. 
I  shall  be  known  henceforth  as  Frater  Flemingus.  (I 
think  I  owe  it  to  the  Captain  to  adopt  his  name.)  My 
wife  goes  to  a  nunnery;  I  leave  my  children  to  your  care 
— o\  to  you  and  3|  to  Isbister.  Farewell,  best  of  men 
and  of  publishers  !  Farewell,  Isbister,  best  of  men  and 
of    smokers !       Farewell,    Good    ^Vords !       Farewell,    the 

world  and  all  its  vanities  ! I  was  interrupted  at  this 

point  by  a  procession  of  monks,  who  came  to  strip  me  ot 
my  worldly  garments,  and  to  prescribe  the  vows.  Before 
changing  garments,  I  inquired  about  the  vows.   Judge  of  my 

amazement  in  finding  I 
I      must    renounce    cigars 

for  ever  !    I  pause 

"P.S. — 2  a.m.,  22nd. 
— The  monks  won't 
cjive  in.  Tlie  weather 
is  fearfully .  cold.  No 
fires  in  the  cells.  The 
dogs  are  mangy. 

"  3  A.M. — I  am  half- 
dead  with  cold.  I  shan't 
lie  in  the  morgue.  I 
re[)ent  ! 

"  G  A.M.  —  Off  for 
London!     Hurrah!" 


i862 — 63. 
To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 


August  18,  1832. 


"  I  had  a  delightful  visit  from  Stanley.  He  is  a 
noble  specimen  of  the  Christian  gentleman  and  scholar. 
When  I  come  into  close  contact  with  such  men  as  he, 
John  Campbell,  Erskine,  Scott,  Maurice,  Davies,  Ludlow, 
Hughes,  I  feel  how  I  could  enjoy  heaven  with  them. 
Whether  it  is  my  defect  or  theirs  I  know  not,  but  the 
narrow,  exclusive,  hard  hyper-Calvinistic  schools  repel  me, 
and  make  me  nervously  unhappy.  I  cry  to  God  daily  for 
humility  to  love  all,  and  to  feel  that  I  am  saved  a,s  a 
sinner  who,  as  such,  must  have  disgusted  the  angels.  Our 
pride  is  devilish,  and  when  I  laiow  how  much  better  many 
of  those  who  repel  me  are  than  I  am,  or  ever  have  been, 
I  am  ashamed  of  my  pride,  and  that  I  cannot  clasp  them 
to  my  heart.  I  should  despair,  unless  I  believed  that 
Jesus  Christ  can  and  will  deliver  me,  and  give  me  to  enjoy 
the  unspeakable  heaven  of  being  a  humble,  meek  child 
without  my  knowmg  it,  but  simply  being  it,  loving  it,  so 
that  by  the  supernatural  I  may  become  natural,  for  sin  in 
every  form  is  so  unnatural. 

"  I  never  had  a  hapj^ier  day  than  yesterday.  I  preached 
on  the  first  two  parables  of  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Luke, 
and  felt  so  strong  and  happy  in  preaching.  The  highest 
conceivable  enjoyment  is  to  preach,  even  in  a  small  degree, 
in  sympathy  with  Christ — to  feel  that  He  is  with  us,  to 
speak  what  you  know  is  right,  and  in  the  right  spirit  of 
good-will  and  unselfish  love.  I  believe  that  God  will  help 
our  India  Mission,  and  bless  us  as  a  congregation  by 
somehow  connecting  us  with  this  work. 

"  I  have  the  most  intense  desire  to  spend  the  next  ten 
years  of  my  life,  if  these  are  given  me,  more  earnestly 
than  I  have  ever  done.  At  sixty  I  shall  be  unfit  for  active 
work.  Whatever  I  can  write  for  the  good  of  my  fellow- 
men  must  be  done  in  this  time.  It  is  a  glorious  gift, 
and  by  the  help  of  the  Almighty  I  may  yet  overcome  the 
bad  habits  of  sloth  and  want  of  method." 


128  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  the  Eev,  W.  F.  Stevensox  : — 

October  A,  lSfJ2. 

"  Tlianlvs  for  your  delightful  volume.*  No  Presbyterian 
has  -written  before  in  such  a  catholic  spirit  ;  and  this  I  feel 
to  be  a  great  want  of  our  Church.  We  ignore  sixteen 
centuries  almost  ;  we  dig  deeper  and  deeper  the  trenches, 
— which  genial  nature  was  kindly  filling  up  with  sweet 
flowers, — to  keep  up  the  old  division  lines,  instead  of  build- 
ing bridges  to  connect  us  as  far  as  possible  with  the 
Church  Catholic.  Judaical  separation  won't  do,  far  less 
Pharisaical.  The  only  separation  which  is  good  is  that  of 
greater  praying  and  working,  which,  hke  true  love,  is  at 
once  the  most  separating  and  most  uniting  element.  The 
'  Stand  back,  I  am  holier  than  thou,'  must  be  exchanged 
for  the  *  Come  near,  for  I  am  holier  than  thou  through 
grace,  which  is  thine  as  well  as  mine,  and  mine  too  for 
thee.'     God  bless  your  book !  " 

From  his  Joitrnal  : — 

"  Nov.  3. — I  this  day  begin  my  winter's  work.  I  am 
persuaded  that  God  is  shutting  me  up  in  His  providence 
to  a  deeper,  inner  mission  in  my  own  spirit  and  in  my 
parish.  What  I  am  longing  to  obtain  is  more  of  the 
glory  and  blessedness  of  love  and  humility.  Humility 
towards  God  and  man  would  be  heaven.  I  have  been 
greatly  quickened  to  aim  at  this  by  Vinet's  noble  sermon 
on  '  Submitting  one  to  another,'  and  '  Lifting  up  holy 
hands.'  There  is  no  sermon- writer  who  masters  me  as  he 
does — so  searching,  so  faithful,  so  discriminating  and  holy. 
I  feel  now  that  the  rest  of  my  life  will  be  nobly  spent  if  I 
can  only,  by  the  constant  help  of  Almighty  grace,  seek 
daily  to  go  out  of  mj'-self  in  love  to  God  and  man, 
showing  it  by  patience,  silence,  sympathy,  forbearance — 
the  esteeming  others  better  than  myself — honourmg  them, 
submitting  to  them,  being  nobody,  and  my  brother  all-in- 
all  to  me. 

"  ;My  proposed  work  will  be  : — 

"  Regular  visitation  of  the  sick  and  aged,  and  weekly 
visits  of  communicants. 

*  "  Praying  and  Working." 


i862 — 63.  I2g 

"  Careful  preparation  of  lectures,  sermons,  and  prayers. 

"  Thursday  evening  prayer  meetings. 

"  Weekly  district  meetings. 

"  Visit  the  Workhouse  and,  if  possible,  the  Hospital. 

"  With  God's  help,  I  should  like  to  rise  at  half-past  five. 
Spend  half-an-hour  at  least  in  devotion.  Write  till  9. 
Keep  Friday  and  Saturday  exclusively  for  pulpit. 

"  Wednesday  night,  district  ;  Thursday,  7  to  8,  people 
in  vestry ;  8,  meeting.  Monday,  sick  and  sorrowing. 
Tuesday  and  Thursday,  visitation. 

"  Tuesday,  Nov.  25. — My  beloved  father  died  this 
morning,  between  one  and  two,  in  his  seventy-ninth  year. 
We  have  lost  as  loving  a  father  as  ever  blessed  a  family. 

"  God  has  called  him,  and  spared  my  beloved  mother. 

"  I  defer  writing  anything  about  his  death." 

'"^Uh  April,  1863. — Having  the  first  quiet  Sunday 
evening  since  January  1,  I  wish  to  go  back  in  my  Journal, 
and  to  record  a  few  events  which  I  would  like  to  remember 
in  detail. 

"  I  had  been  out  of  toAvn,  and  returned  home  on 
Monday.  Having  much  to  do,  I  sat  down  to  work.  It 
was  a  close,  foggy  night.  Just  as  I  was  settled  to  my 
writing,  I  remembered  that  I  had  not  seen  my  dear  father 
since  Friday.  Anxious  to  save  time  I  went  out  as  I  was, 
intending  to  spend  only  a  few  minutes  with  him.  But  I 
found  my  mother  out,  an  event  which  had  not  happened, 
I  presume,  for  years.  So  I  stayed  a  long  time,  and  to 
cheer  him  talked  over  old  Morven  stories.  He  had  been 
dull  all  day,  but  I  did  cheer  him  so  that  I  never  saw  him 
more  happy.  We  parted  at  ten.  My  door-bell  rang 
about  one  a.m.,  and  a  message  was  brought  to  my  bed 
that  he  was  dying.  In  a  few  minutes,  another.  I 
hurried  down — he  was  dead  !  I  went  to  his  room,  and 
there  he  lay  as  he  had  died — asleep  !  I  did  not  weep, 
nor  did  I  feel  the  least  excited.  The  Lord  knows  how  this 
was  ;  but  so  it  was.  I  felt  less  a  great  deal  than  I  had 
often  done  in  visiting  the  poorest,  even  strangers,  in  time 

of  distress There   he  lay,  with   that  noble 

head  and  white  hair — but  why  describe  it  ? 

VOT-.    IT.  K 


130  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  In  all  my  life  I  never  saw  such  a  glorious  face  in 
death.  He  lay  for  a  week  in  that  coffin,  pure  and  sweet 
as  marble.  The  red  was  in  his  lips,  and  there  was  a 
nobleness,  a  grandeur,  a  dignity,  about  that  face  and  head, 
which  were  fascinating.  I  can  describe  the  feeling  they 
created  by  no  other  word. 

"  The  remarkable  things  on  the  day  of  the  public 
funeral  were  the  number  of  Highland  women,  old  and 
young,  Avho  struggled  with  obvious  difficulty  in  keeping 
up  with  the  hearse  until  it  reached  the  Barony,  where  we 
parted  from  the  general  company,  and  went  to  dear  old 
Campsie.  There  the  spectacle  was  very  remarkable.  It 
was  twenty-five  years  since  he  had  left  that  parish,  and 
yet  in  a  town  of  two  thousand  every  shop  was  shut  sponta- 
neously. There  we  laid  him  and  returned  to  my  beloved 
mother. 

"  Since  then  the  house,  which  for  twenty-five  years 
has  been  the  centre  of  such  love  and  life,  has  been  emptied, 
and  a  great  chapter  has  been  closed.  We  all  intensely 
realise  it." 

His  experience  in  the  managcn^ent  of  an  enormous 
parish  had  convinced  him  that,  howe^'e^  well  it  may 
be  administered,  the  Poor  Law  necessarily  entails 
moral  and  social  consequences,  which,  if  not  counter- 
acted, must  seriously  affect  the  well-being  of  the  com- 
munity. He  believed  it  was  worse  than  a  mistake  to 
place  the  deserving  poor  on  the  same  level  with  the 
idle  and  disreputable,  and  thus  destroy  that  self-respect 
which  is  the  best  safeguard  against  pauperism.  The 
substitution  of  statutory  rates  for  the  exercise  of 
Christian  charity,  must,  in  his  opinion,  ultimately 
demoralise  both  rich  and  poor.  The  gulf  which  was 
every  day  becoming  wider  between  class  and  class, 
between  the  brother  who  Avas  '  increased  with  goods,' 
in  the  West  End,  and  the  brother  '  who  had  need,' 
in  the  East  End  of  the  City,  appeared  to  him  one  of 


i86z — 63.  Iji 

the  grayest  problems  with  which  the  Church  had  to 
deal,  and  how  to  create  '  bridges '  across  the  gulf  be 
came  for  a  while  the  absorbing  topic  of  his  reflections. 
An  article  which  appeared  in  Good  Words,  from  the 
pen  of  his  friend  the  Eev.  "W.  F.  Stevenson,  on  the 
practical  application  at  Elberfeldt  of  Dr.  Chalmers' 
plan  for  relieving  the  poor,  struck  him  so  much  that 
he  determined  to  see  for  himself  what  the  writer 
described.  He  accordingly  made  a  brief  excursion  to 
Germany  in  the  month  of  February,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Stevenson,  the  Eev.  Adoph  Saphir,  and  his 
brother  Donald,  and  after  visiting  Pastor  Fliedner's 
Deaconess  Institution,  at  Xaiserswerth,  spent  two 
days  at  Elberfeldt.*  On  his  return  to  Glasgow  he 
gave  a  lecture  '  On  East  and  West,'  to  an  influential 
audience  in  the  Corporation  Galleries ;  and  as  the 
season  was  too  near  an  end  for  gaining  any  practical 
result,  he  intimated  his  intention  to  repeat  it  next 
winter,  and  to  follow  it  up  by  a  discourse  on  'Bridges,' 
in  which  he  would  propose  a  remedy  for  the  evils  he 
had  described.  This  intention  he  was  unable  to  ac- 
complish, f  and  a  paper  in  Good  Words,  afterwards 
published  in  a  separate  form,+  alone  remains  to  indi- 
cate the  direction  in  which  his  thoughts  were  then 
turned. 

*  An  account  of  tliis  journey  "was  given  in  Good  Words,  "  Up  the 
Ehine  in  "Winter,  by  Pour  Friends."  Each,  of  the  travellers  contri- 
buted a  portion ;  Stevenson  describing  Kaiserwerth  and  Elberfeldt, 
Saphir  a  visit  to  Dr.  Lange  at  Bonn,  Dr.  Macleod  the  Carnival 
at  Cologne,  and  his  brother  the  Rhine  scenery  in  winter. 

j-  The  unaccountable  disappearance  of  his  first  lecture  was,  in  the 
midst  of  a  busy  winter,  one  of  the  chief  hindrances  to  his  resuming 
the  subject. 

I  "How  can  we  best  Eelieve  our  Deserving  Poor  ? "  Strahan, 
1867. 

K  2 


132  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

From  his  Jotjenal  : — 

"March,  1863. — On  my  return  from  Germany  I  went 
to  Windsor.  I  reached  Monday  night,  but  did  not  see 
the  Queen.  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  Dean  of 
Windsor  (Wellesley,  nephew  of  the  Duke),  one  of  those 
noble  specimens  of  the  pious  Christian  gentleman  which 
is  characteristic  of  the  English  Church  above  all  others. 
Next  day  I  walked  with  Lady  Augusta  to  the  Mausoleum 
to  meet  the  Queen.  She  was  accompanied  by  the  Princess 
Alice.  She  had  the  key,  and  ojjcned  it  herself,  undoing 
the  bolts,  and  alone  we  entered  and  stood  in  silence  beside 
Marochctti's  beautiful  statue  of  the  Prince.  I  was  very 
much  overcome.      She  Avas  calm  and  quiet. 

"  We  parted  at  the  entrance,  and  I  accompanied  Lady 
Augusta  to  Frogmore,  and  the  tomb  of  the  Duchess  of 
Kent.  She,  the  Duchess,  must  have  been  a  most  unselfish, 
devoted  mother.  All  the  tender  things  Lady  Augusta 
said  about  her  were  quite  in  keeping  with  what  I  had 
before  heard. 

"  I  had  a  private  interview  at  night  with  the  Queen. 
She  is  so  true,  so  genuine,  I  wonder  not  at  her  sorrow. 
To  me  it  is  quite  natural,  and  has  not  a  bit  of  morbid 
feeling  in  it.  It  but  expresses  the  greatest  loss  that  a 
sovereign  and  Avife  could  sustain. 

"  Next  day  I  went  through  Windsor,  which  is  the  heau 
ideal  of  a  royal  residence.  There  are  some  grand  pictures 
in  it,  and  also  a  number  of  poor  ones.  Except  the 
royal  apartments  in  the  Kremlin,  these  are  the  finest  in 
Europe. 

"  I  returned  home  and  went  back  to  the  marriage  on 
the  lOtli  of  March.  I  was  in  full  court  dress,  but  found 
I  could  have  gone  in  gown  and  bands.  Why  describe 
what  has  been  given  in  full  detail  ?  I  got  beside  Kingsley, 
Stanley,  Birch,  and  in  a  famous  place.  Being  in  front  of 
the  royal  pair  we  saw  better  than  any,  except  the  clergy. 
It  was  a  gorgeous  sight,  yet  somehow  did  not  excite  me. 
I  suppose  I  am  past  this. 

"  Two  things  struck  me  much.  One  was  the  whole  of 
the  royal  princesses  weeping,  though  concealing  their  tears 
with  their  bouquets,  as  they  saw  their  brother,  who  was  to 


i862 — 63.  J33 

them  but  their  'Bertie '  and  their  dear  father's  son,  stand- 
ing alone  waiting  for  his  bride,  Tlie  other  was  the  Queen's 
expression  as  she  raised  her  eyes  to  heaven,  while  her  hus- 
band's Chorale  was  sung.  She  seemed  to  be  with  him 
alone  before  the  throne  of  God." 

To  Eev.  A.  Clerk,  LL.D.  : — 

"Even  you  have  little  idea  of  the  overwhelming 
business  which  has  been  laid  on  me  by  Providence.  I 
am  able  to  keep  peace  at  the  heart,  but  with  extreme 
difficulty  ;  for  it  is  so  vexing  to  be  able  to  do  nothing 
well  which  is  attempted,  and  to  leave  so  much  utterly 
undone. 

"  The  Prince's  marriage  was,  of  course,  a  splendid  affair. 
I  could  not  help  smiling  at  your  idea  of  my  requiring 
much  grace  to  return  to  my  work !  I  returned  with 
quiet  thanksgiving ;  for,  believe  me,  spectacles  of  that 
sort  don't  even  excite  me.  They  interest  me  much  ;  but 
a  day  in  Glen  Nevis  would  unfit  me  much  more  for  the 
Glasgow  closes.  I  hope  in  summer  to  have  the  joy  of 
visiting  King  Ben  and  his  Queen,  the  Glen." 

To  the  Eev.  W.  F.  Stevenson  : — 

March  16,  1863. 

"  I  gave  my  lecture  on  East  and  West  on  Monday  to 
a  great  audience,  but  from  want  of  time  I  could  say 
little  about  Elberfeldt,  so  I  mean  to  open  next  winter's 
course  with  a  lecture  on  '  Bridges,'  or  how  to  connect 
East  and  West.  To  this  end  I  mean  to  work  during 
summer,  collecting  facts  about  such  practical  efforts  in 
other  places  as  may  be  suitable  for  this  city." 

From  his  Jouenal  : — 

^'Tuesday,  May  25th. — I  returned  last  night  from 
Balmoral.  The  weather  magnificent.  I  was  in  singularly 
dull  spirits. 

"  1  saw  the  Queen  on  Sunday  night,  and  had  a  long 
and  very  confidential  talk  with  her. 


134  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  I  feel  she  wishes  me  to  utter,  as  I  do,  anything,  -which 
in  my  soul  I  feel  to  be  true,  and  according  to  God's  will. 
She  has  a  reasonincr,  searching  mind,  anxious  to  get  at 
the  root  and  the  reality  of  things,  and  abhors  all  shams, 
whether  in  word  or  deed. 

"  Truly  I  need  a  higher  wisdom  than  my  o-\vn  to  use 
the  great  talent  God  has  given  me  to  speak  the  truth  in 
wisdom,  and  in  love  without  fear  of  man." 

"  X  record  a  specimen  of  my  boy's  theology  : — 

"  J.  '  Auntie,  what  prayer  shall  I  say  ?  Shall  I  say, 
"  When  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep,  angels  will  me  keep  ?  "  ' 

"A.    'Yes;  say  that.' 

"  J.   '  Mamma  says  that  good  angels  keep  good  boys.' 

"  A.  '  Shall  I  leave  the  candle  burning  ?  Are  you 
frightened  ? ' 

"  J.   '  Yes — no — yes  ;  leave  it  burning.' 

"A.   '  What  are  you  frightened  for  ? ' 

"  J.   '  Eats.' 

"  A.   '  Tlimk  you,  dear,  about  the  good  angels.* 

"J.   '  Can  they  kill  rats  ?'  " 

As  it  was  thouglit  desirable  to  send  deputies  from 
the  Church  to  visit  the  stations  which  the  Committee 
of  the  Jewish  Mission  was  establishing  in  the 
Levant,  Dr.  Macleod  and  his  friend  Dr.  Macduff 
volunteered  their  services  for  this  duty,  and  offered 
to  fulfil  it  at  their  own  cost.  They  resolved,  how- 
ever, not  to  go  except  the  General  Assembly  was 
perfectly  unanimous  in  its  decision.  This  condition 
not  having  been  fulfi^lled,  they  gave  up  all  thoughts 
of  the  expedition. 

To  Dr.  Macditf  : — 

"  All  will  go  well,  I  hope,  in  the  Assembly.  We  do 
not  go,  of  course  ;  but  I  hope  enough  sense  and  gene- 


i862 — 63.  135 

rosity  will  be  found  as  to  let  us  off  with  grace.     Fear 
not !  you  and  I  shall  come  well  out  of  this  business." 

The  Childien  of  Israel  as  they  are. 

The  opposition  to  Good  Words,  which  he  had  anti- 
cipated from  a  section  of  the  religious  world,  and  of 
which  some  faint  murmurs  had  already  reached  him, 
at  last  broke  out  with  a  violence  for  which  he  was 
certainly  not  prepared.  The  Record  newspaper 
published  a  series  of  criticisms  of  the  magazine, 
especially  referring  to  the  contributions  of  Principal 
Tulloch,  Dr.  Lee,  Dr.  Caird,  and  Dr.  Macleod,  which, 
besides  wrath  and  bitterness,  displayed  so  much 
deliberate  dishonesty,  that  he  was  utterly  shocked  by 
the  revelation  it  gave  of  the  spirit  reigning  in  the 
narrower  circle  of  the  '  Evangelical '  world.  The 
maledictions  of  the  Record,  reprinted  in  the  form 
of  a  pamphlet,  and  widely  circulated  in  England  and 
Scotland,  were  caught  up  and  re-echoed  by  kindred 
organs  throughout  the  country,  and  had  the  effect  of 
making  the  editor  of  the  offending  periodical  an 
object  of  suspicion  to  many  whose  good- will  he 
valued.  A  ludicrous  anti-climax  was  reached  in  the 
Controversy,  when  the  Presbytery  of  Strathbogio 
gravely  '  overtured '  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Free  Church  to  take  Good  Words  into  its  consideration. 
If  Dr.  Macleod  was  indignant  under  this  treatment, 
he  was  still  more  grieved  and  ashamed.     He  never. 


136  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

however,  lost  the  confidence  of  the  healthier  '  Evan- 
gelical '  party  in  all  Churches,  and  an  able  exposure 
of  the  spiteful  character  of  the  criticisms  in  the 
Record  which  appeared  in  the  Patriot^  did  much 
even  to  remove  the  suspicions  under  which  he  lay 
with  the  weaker  brethren. 

From  his  Jottrnal  : — 

"  A  series  of  reviews  on  Good  Words  have  appeared  in 
the  Record  newspaper.  What  gives  these  furious  attacks 
any  interest  to  me  is  the  evidence  Avhich  they  afford  of 
the  state  of  a  section  of  the  Evangelical  Cluirch  Avhich  sets 
itself  up  as  the  perfection  of  '  Evangelicalism.' 

" .  .  .  I  was  quite  aware  of  the  risk  I  should  run  from  the 
na.rrow  school  of  perfectly  conscientious  people,  weak  albeit 
and  i<>-norant  of  the  bisf  Avorld,  and  of  the  necessities  of 
the  times,  and  of  what  might  be  done  for  Christ's  cause 
and  kingdom  by  wiser  and  broader  means. 

"  I  had  tried  the  very  same  experiment  in  the  old 
Edinburgh  Christian  Magazine  for  ten  years.  It  never 
paid  :  its  circulation  Avas  about  four  thousand.  But  I  held 
on  till  the  publishers,  who  had  little  capital  and  less 
enterprise,  gave  it  uj)  in  dcsj)air.  But  while  I  met  con- 
stant opposition  from  the  weaker  brethren,  I  held  on  with 
the  hope  of  emancipating  cheap  religious  literature  from 
the  narrowness  and  wealaiess  to  which  it  had  come.  Good 
Words  has  now  risen  to  a  circulation  of  one  hundred  and 
ten  thousand  monthly,  wliile  we  print  one  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand.  Thus  the  experiment  has  so  far  suc- 
ceeded. I  resolved  to  publish  the  names  of  contributors, 
so  that  each  man  would  feel  he  was  responsible  for  his 
own  share  of  the  work  only,  while  I  was  responsible  for 
the  whole.  Until  this  moment  it  has  been  welcomed, 
but  the  Record  has  opened  fire — Strahan  told  me  it  was 
to  do  so.  The  articles  afford  frightful  evidence  of  the 
low  state  to  winch  Pharisaical  '  Evangelicalism '  has  come. 
Tliey  have  been  ably  answered  in  a  series  of  nrticles  in 
the  Patriot.      I  don't  know,  nor  suspect  by  whom.      An 


i862 — 63.  137 

attempt  is  being  made  to  get  Oood  Words  rejected  by- 
Tract  Societies,  the  Pure  Literary  Society,  &c.  It  is 
incomprehensible  to  me  that,  at  a  time  when  the  very 
citadel  of  truth  is  attacked,  these  men  are  not  thankful 
for  such  a  sincere  and  hearty  defence.  Strahan  writes 
me  that  since  the  attack  he  has  sold  more  than  ever. 
But  this  is  a  secondary  consideration.  My  own  belief 
is  that  the  magazine  will  for  a  time  be  injured.  So  many 
thousands  of  well-intentioned  people  are  slaves  to  religious 
papers  (among  the  worst  in  existence),  and  to  their  weak- 
headed  '  Evangelical '  pastors,  as  much  as  any  Papists  to 
their  church  or  priesthood ;  and  so  many  men  are  terrified 
to  be  held  up  as  'unevangelical,'  that  I  don't  think  they  are 
as  yet  prepared  for  a  magazine  which  shall  honestly  repre- 
sent the  various  subjects,  besides  'religion,'  v/hich  in  point 
of  fact  so  occupy  the  thoughts  of  good  men. 

"  The  *  world '  is  that  which  is  '  not  of  the  Father.'  The 
so-called  *  Evangelical  party ' — for,  thank  God,  they  are 
but  a  small  clique — are  becoming  the  worshippers  of 
mere  Shibboleths — phrases.  The  shortest  road  to  be 
considered  religious  is  to  adhere  to  a  creed  in  words, 
and  to  keep  up  a  cant  vocabulary.  Let  two  men  appear 
in  a  certain  circle  of  society  of  London,  and  let  one  man 
speak  of  'the  Lord's  people,'  'a  man  of  God,'  'a  great 
work  going  on  of  revival,'  &c.,  and  another  speak  of  'good 
christian  people,'  '  a  good  man,'  '  good  doing,'  the  first 
man  is  dubbed  godly,  and  the  other  man  at  least  doubtful, 
and  all  from  phrases !  The  one  man's  sins,  misrepresen- 
tations, uncharitableness,  are  put  down  to  the  frailties  of  '  a 
man  of  God;'  the  other  man's  excellencies  to  vain  appear- 
ances. The  evil  of  the  one  is  accounted  for,  the  good  of 
the  other  denied  or  suspected.      This  is  horrible  ! 

"  In  like  manner,  though  a  man  believes,  as  I  do,  with 
his  whole  soul  the  doctrines  of  Scripture,  yet  woe  to  him 
unless  he  believes  the  precise  philosophy,  or  the  systematic 
form  of  those  doctrines  held  by  the  clique!  It  is  not 
enough  that  you  believe  in  Christ's  life  and  death  as  an 
atonement,  as  revealing  God's  love,  as  that  without  which 
there  is  no  pardon  for  sin,  as  that  by  which  we  are  recon- 
ciled to    God.       They   will   tell  you  that  you   deny  the 


138  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

atonement  unless  you  believe  that  Christ  on  the  cross 
endured  the  punishment  which  was  due  to  each  sinner  of 
the  elect  for  whom  He  died  ;  which,  thank  God,  I  don't 
believe,  as  I  know  He  died  for  the  Avhole  world.  They 
never  seem  to  be  aware  of  the  difficulties  connected  with 
the  philosophy  of  the  atonement :  what  it  was,  how 
Christ  bore  our  sins,  how  this  stands  connected  with 
pardon,  or  man's  spiritual  life.  And  so  as  regards  every 
other  doctrine  :  a  man  may  believe  in  the  corruption  of 
human  nature,  and  to  the  extent  that  it  requires  the 
supernatural  power  of  God's  Holy  Spirit  to  renew  us  and 
make  us  holy — but  Anathema !  unless  you  believe  that 
you  are  damned  for  Adam's  sin,  and  that  a  man  has  to  be 
passive  as  a  stone  till  God,  on  what  principle  we  know  not, 
acts  on  him.  It  is  not  enough  to  believe  that  sin  is 
cursed,  and  that  so  long  as  a  sinner  remains  in  this  wurld 
or  anywhere  loving  sin,  he  is  in  hell.  But  you  must  be- 
lieve in  literal  fire  and  brimstone  :  a  lake  of  fire,  into 
which  infants  even  may  be  cast,  or  you  are  not  '  Evan- 
gelical!' In  vain  you  vow  that  you  submit  to  Christ's 
teaching,  that  whatever  He  says  you  believe,  that  you 
submit  to  it,  and  are  sure  that  ultimately  reason  and  con- 
science will  rejoice  in  it.  Anathema !  unless  you  see 
A  B  C  to  be  Christ's  teaching,  the  proof  of  which  is,  that 
not  the  Pope  nor  the  Church,  but  that  we,  the  '  Evangelical 
Church,'  the  Record,  or  Dr.  This  or  Dr.  That,  thinks  so,  says 
so,  and  curses  every  man  who  thinks  or  says  diflerently. 

"  Along  with  all  this  fury  in  defending  '  the  faith ' 
(forsooth !)  '  once  delivered  to  the  saints '  (as  if  Abraham 
were  a  Mecordite),  there  is  such  a  spirit  of  hatred  and 
gross  dishonesty  manifested  that  it  has  driven  more  away 
from  real  Christianity  than  all  the  rationalists  who  have 
ever  written.  God  helping  me,  I  will  continue  Good  Words 
as  I  have  begun.  If  good  men  Avill  cast  me  out  of  their 
hearts,  I  feel  most  deeply  the  loss,  but  I  must  carry  this 
cross.  It  is  my  daily  prayer  to  be  guided  in  it  for  the 
glory  of  my  Redeemer,  and  I  wish  each  number  to  have 
such  a  testimony  for  Him  in  it  as  that  I  shall  be  able  to 
put  it  under  my  pillow  when  I  die. 

"  I   was   threatened   in  London  that  unless  I  gave  up 


i862 — 63.  139 

Stanley  and  Kingsley  I  should  be  '  crushed  ! '  What  a 
wretched  hypocrite  I  would  be  if  I  practically  declared 
that  I  did  not  think  these  men  worthy  of  writing  beside 
me  !  Only  think  of  it,  Editor !  Strahan  and  I  agreed 
to  let  Good  Words  perish,  perish  a   hundred  times,  before 

we  would  play  such  a  false  part  as  this.      or 

accepted  as  Christ's  friend,  and  Arthur  Stanley  rejected  as 
His  enemy !  It  might  make  the  devils  laugh  and  angels 
weep  !  Good  Words  may  perish,  but  I  will  never  save  it 
by  such  sacrifices  of  principle  as  this. 

"  I  believe  the  warfare  begun  by  that  miserable  Record — 
which  I  have  abhorred  ever  since  it  wrote  about  dear 
Arnold — will  end  in  the  question,  how  far  the  truly  pious 
Church  of  Christ  in  this  country  is  to  be  ruled  by  a  small 
synagogue  of  Pharisees  and  good  old  women,  including 
men  not  a  few.      We  shall  see. 

"  Yet  I  go  this  week  to  the  Evangelical  Alliance  !  Yes 
I  do.  I  have  received  much  spiritual  good  from  its  meet- 
ings. I  won't  be  driven  off  by  the  Record.  But  I  shall 
see  of  what  spirit  it  is  now  of,  and  will  continue  in  it  or 
leave  it  as  I  find  it  right. 

"  My  Father,  forgive  my  keen,  feeling  if  I  do  injustice 
to  the  weakest  child  of  God  ;  help  me  to  be  humble  and 
meek,  but  courageous  and  sincere.     Amen." 

"May  25. — The  Alliance  meeting  has  convinced  me 
that  all  mind,  all  grasp,  all  power  arising  from  love  guided 
by  sound  judgment  has  ceased  to  characterise  it.  It  has 
become  the  type  of  exclusion  rather  than  inclusion,  and 
'  terrified  for  the  adversaries,'  it  is  shrinking  into  a 
small  cell.  I  will  leave  it.  The  Alliance  should  include 
all  who  acknowledge  the  supreme  authority  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  and  that  of  the  Holy  Scripture. 

"Dear  Sir  Culling  is  dead.  He  has  joined  the  true 
Alliance,  and  no  man  will  be  more  at  home  in  heaven." 

The  following  letter,  written  in  answer  to  a  respect- 
ful remonstrance  from  one  of  the  Professors  in  the 
University  of  Edinburgh,  w^as  printed  for  private 
circulation. 


HO  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Glasgo\s^,  June,  1863. 
"  I  thank  you  for  your  note  ;  because  I  feel  assured 
that  you  meant  it  kindly. 

"  I  can  hardly  express  to  you  the  pain,  and,  I  must  add, 
the  surprise,  with  which  I  received  the  objections  to  Good 
Words  Avhich  it  contains,  from  one  for  whose  character 
and  culture  I  entertain  such  liigli  respect.  Perhaps  I  feel 
this  the  more  at  this  time,  when  I  have  been  made  the 
object  of  a  most  unrighteous  and  untruthful  attack  by  the 
Record  newspaper.  ...  I  would  feel  pained  to  dis- 
cover even  a  shadow  of  such  a  publication  falling  for  a 
moment  over  any  portion  of  the  Evangelical  Church  in 
Scotland. 

"  Certain  criticisms  in  the  last  mcetin?  of  the  Free 
Church  Assembly  make  me  write  thus,  although  I  do 
not  mean  to  take  further  notice  of  that  popular  demon- 
stration. 

"  But  let  me  endeavour  to  obviate,  or  at  least  modify, 
the  difficulties  which  you  are  pleased  so  kindly  to  express 
in  jrour  letter  regarding  Good  Words. 

"  There  is,  first  of  all,  the  objection  which  you  call  the 
Sabbath  reading  question.  You  fear,  as  I  understand  it, 
that  young  persons  may  be  tempted  to  read  the  '  secular  ' 
articles  of  Good  Words  on  Sunday,  and  that  '  the  fine  tone' 
which  we  have  so  long  associated,  and,  very  properlj^,  with 
Sabbath  reading  may  thereby  be  deteriorated.  Now,  Good 
Words  is  not  specially  intended,  as  too  many  Christian 
periodicals,  I  think  are,  to  furnish  nourishment  for  the 
young  chiefly,  but  rather  to  give  solid  meat  for  intelligent 
men  and  women.  But  if  any  members  of  a  Christian 
family  are  compelled  to  endure  such  severe  and  dry  ex- 
ercises on  the  Sunday  as  would  make  them  long  for  even 
the  scientific  articles  in  Good  Words,  or,  what  is  still  more 
common,  if  they  are  so  ill-trained  as  to  read  what  parental 
authority  has  forbidden,  let  me  ask,  in  such  a  case,  why  not 
lock  up  Good  Words  ?  The  poorest  family  have  generally 
a  press,  or  a  chest  of  drawers,  where  this  mechanical  pro- 
cess can  be  achieved.  It  surely  must  be  acknowledged 
that  the  periodical,  so  far  as  its  mere  '  secular '  element  is 
concerned,  may  be  admitted  as  a  respectable  and  worthy 


i86z — 63.  1^1 

visitor  of  a  Christian  family  on  at  least  six  days  of  the 
week  ?  If  so,  why  not  take  the  visitor  by  the  throat,  say 
at  11.55  on  Saturday  night,  just  at  the  moment  when  he 
is  beinsT  transformed  into  the  character  of  a  danc^erous  in- 
truder,  and  then  incarcerate  him  till  he  becomes  once  more 
respectal)le  at  12.5  on  Monday  morning?  Or,  if  it  is 
found  that  the  villain  may  escape  on  Sunday,  that  John 
and  James  have  become  so  attached  to  him  that  they  are 
disposed  to  pick  the  lock  of  his  prison  and  let  him  out, 
might  it  not  be  prudent,  in  such  a  case,  to  adopt  the  old 
orthodox  Popish  fashion  of  burning  him  as  a  heretic  ? — 
with  the  condition  only,  for  the  great  advantage  of  the 
publishers,  that  a  new  copy  shall  be  purchased  every  Mon- 
day morning  !  Even  in  this  case,  and  in  spite  of  all  those 
holocausts.  Good  Words  would  still  be  '  worth  much  and 
cost  little.'  But  then,  my  dear  ,  you  must  con- 
sider how  to  dispose  of  all  your  other  secular  literature 
upon  the  first  day  of  the  week.  What  of  your  other  secu- 
lar books  and  '  secular '  periodicals  ?  and,  what  is  a  still 
more  difficult  question,  how  are  you  to  dispose  of  all  your 
secular  conversation,  if  science  be  secular  ?  What,  for 
example,  are  you  to  do  with  the  secular  sun,  moon,  and 
stars  ?  Are  you  to  look  at  them  ?  If  you  do  so,  are  you 
to  think  about  them  ?  If  you  think  about  them,  are  you 
to  speak  about  them  ?  If  you  speak  about  them,  are  you 
to  do  so  scientifically — that  is,  according  to  truth  ?  For,  if 
so,  you  thereby  immediately  tread  upon  dangerous  ground. 
You  may  be  led  into  a  talk  on  Astronomy,  and  may  thus 

become  as  bad  as  Professor ,  who,  as  you  inform  me, 

declared  from  the  chair  of  the  Royal  Society  that  he  had 
read  an  article  on  Astronomy  in  Good  Words  on  a  Sunday 
evening.  Your  theory  carried  to  this  extent  is  hard  to 
practise  in  consistency  with  the  most  holy  idea  of  the 
Sunday.  But  that  is  not  my  look-out.  '  Let  each  man 
be  fully  persuaded  in  his  own  mind.' — '  To  him  that 
esteemeth  anything  to  be  unclean  to  him  it  is  unclean.'  It 
is  enough  for  my  defence  that  lock  and  key  can  enable  any 
man  to  dispose  of  Good  Words,  if  he  finds  his  family 
tempted,  from  want  of  principle  or  self-control,  to  read 
some  of  those  articles  which,  I  admit,  are  not  intended  for 


r  4  2  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MA  CLEOD. 

the  Sunday,  but  for  tlie  other  days  of  the  week.  Pray,  my 
friend,  do  not  suppose  that  I  am  speaking  hghtly  of  the 
Sunday,  or  of  its  becoming  exercises.  I  Avill  yield  to  no 
man  living  in  my  profound  thankfulness  for  the  Lord's 
Day  and  all  its  sacred  influences  :  nor  do  I  wish,  God  for- 
bid !  to  weaken  them,  but  to  strengthen  them.  I  am 
merely  indulging  in  a  little  banter  with  reference  to  what 
appears  to  me  to  be  a  wrong  application  of  principles,  on 
which  we  all  agree,  to  the  condemnation  of  Good  V^^ords. 

"  As  to  the  objection  about  the  mixture  of  secular  and 
sacred  in  Good  Words,  which  is  involved  in  '  the  Sabbath 
reading  question,'  what  can  I  say  ?  Ought  I  to  leave  out 
the  sacred  ?  Would  the  magazine  thereby  become  more 
Christian  ?  You  seem  to  object  to  its  title,  as  a  magazine 
for  all  the  week.  Will  it  become  good  if  I  leave  out  that 
title,  or  construct  another,  suggesting  that  it  is  a  magazine 
for  all  the  week  except  the  Sunday  ?  Would  either  this 
change  in  its  title,  or  the  withdrawal  of  its  '  religious '  con- 
tents make  it  really  more  religious,  and,  therefore,  more 
worthy  of  the  support  of  Evangelical  men  ?  I  have  no 
sympathy  with  these  objections.  Either  of  us  must  have 
a  way  of  looking  at  the  matter  which  the  other  cannot 
understand. 

"  Your  other  objection  is  worthy,  however,  of  a  more 
lengthened  and  serious  reply.  I  quite  sympathize  with 
those  who  may  urge  it  : — I  mean  the  fact  of  writers  be- 
longing to  different  schools  in  theology,  and  different 
departments  in  literature,  such  as  Mr.  Trollope,  Professor 
Kingsley,  and  Dr.  Stanley,  writing  in  the  same  journal 
with  other  men  of  acknoAvledged  '  Evangelical '  sentiments. 
Now,  whether  the  plan  or  idea  be  right  or  Avrong,  of  a 
religious  magazine  which  shall  include  among  its  writers 
men  of  all  parties  and  Churches,  or  occupj-ing  different 
walks  in  literature,  I  beg  to  assure  you  that  I  alone  am 
responsible  for  it.  It  Avas  not  suggested  to  me  by  the 
publishers  or  by  others,  but  Avas  made  a  condition  by 
myself  before  accepting  the  editorship  of  the  magazine. 
Moreover,  I  can  very  sincerely  say,  that  it  Avas  not  con- 
ceived or  adopted  Avithout  most  grave,  mature,  and  prayer- 
ful consideration.      I  sa}-  prayerful,  not  as  a  mere  phrase, 


i862 — 63.  14.3 

bnt  as  expressing  a  real  fact.  I  admit  also  that  I  have 
been  from  the  first  alive  to  the  possible  offence  this  plan 
might  give  to  some  good  and  thoroughly  sincere  men  who 
had  been  accustomed  to  associate  with  what  was  called 
'Evangelical  literature,'  a  diiferent  and  narrower  idea. 

"...  I  believed,  that  if  our  cheap  religious  publica- 
tions were  to  exercise  real  influence  upon  our  intelligent 
mechanics,  much  more  upon  that  immense  mass  which 
occupies  the  middle  ground  between  the  '  Recordite' 
Church  part}'  on  the  one  side,  and  the  indifferent  and 
sceptical  on  the  other,  popular  Christian  periodical  litera- 
ture must  be  made,  within,  of  course,  certain  limits,  much 
wider,  truer,  more  manly,  and  more  human — i.e.,  more 
really  Christian  in  its  sympathies  than  it  had  hitherto 
been.  With  these  convictions  naturally  and  soberly 
formed,  I  resolved  to  make  the  experiment  and  to  face  all 
its  difficulties. 

"...  My  rule  has  been  to  obtain  assistance  from 
the  best  men  in  every  church  and  party  I  can  find  able 
and  willing  to  write  for  me  on  such  subjects  as  all  men 
may  read  Avith  interest  or  with  profit.  This  rule  is 
limited  by  one  principle  only,  Avhich  has  ever  guided 
me,  and  that  is,  never  to  accept  the  contributions  of  any 
writer,  male  or  female,  however  talented,  who  is  known  to 
be  anti-Christian  in  creed  or  life.  No  infidel,  no  immoral 
man  or  woman,  no  one  whom  I  could  not  receive,  in 
so  far  as  character  is  concerned,  into  my  family,  will 
ever  be  permitted  to  write  in  the  pages  of  Good  Words. 
Nay  more,  what  they  write  must  be  m  harmony  at  least 
with  the  essentials  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  with  its 
morals.  But,  short  of  this,  I  hold  that  he  who  is  not 
against  Christ  is  for  Him — for  Him  more  especially 
when  the  author,  whoever  he  be,  is  willing  to  write  side 
by  side  with  men  who  preach  the  Gospel  out-and-out. 
And,  therefore,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  to  you,  that 
I  believe  every  person  Avho  has  written  in  Good  Words 
publicly  professes  his  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  maintains 
a  character  not  inconsistent  with  that  profession. 

"  As  to  the  fear  you  express  of  persons  being  thus  in- 
duced  to   read  Kingsley  or  Stanley,  no  person,  I  beheve, 


144  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

who  lias  not  read  tliem  already,  will  be  inclined  to  do  so 
merely  by  reading  Good  ^Yovds.  But  I  presume  that 
most  people  who  read  general  literature  are  already 
acquainted  with  their  Avritings.  Yet  I  begin  to  think  that 
these  are  condemned  by  many  who  have  never  read  them, 
but  have  received  from  others,  equally  ignorant,  a  vague 
impression  of  something  horrible  about  them,  they  know 
not  what.  I  am  not  aware  of  anything  they  have  ever 
written  which  should  necessitate  their  being  excommuni- 
cated from  the  pages  of  Christian  periodical  literature. 
Anyhow,  I  have  little  faith  in  an  Index  ExpurgatoHus 
being  Avise  or  efficient  among  people  of  ordinary  education 
and  intelligence.  For  once  that  it  makes  a  young  man 
pious,  in  a  hundred  cases  it  makes  him  either  ignorant, 
false,  or  sceptical.  To  know  both  sides  is,  I  tliink,  the 
only  safeguard  for  men  who  may  feel  called  upon  to  study 
the  present  phases  of  religious  thought.  Good  Woixh, 
however,  gives  them  but  the  good  side. 

"  What  then  has  been  the  practical  result  of  my  editorial 
plan  ?  It  is  this  :  that  I  defy  any  man  to  select  a  number 
in  which  there  has  not  been  again  and  again  repeated  a 
full  statement  of  Gospel  truth,  and  that  too  Avithout  any 
one  article,  or  even  any  passage  in  any  number  contra- 
dicting it,  but  every  article  being,  at  least,  in  harmony  with 
it.  No  doubt  you  may  pick  out  here  and  there  once  in  a  year, 
and  out  of  a  hundred  articles,  some  sentence  which  may 
have  crept  in  through  inadvertency,  and  which  might  have 
been,  perhaps,  better  left  out.  And  in  a  few  articles  also 
of  a  more  strictly  religious  character  there  may  be  the 
omission  of  doctrines  Avhich  we  might  wish  had  been  in, 
or  more  fully  stated.  But  the  Magazine  must  be  judged  of 
as  a  whole,  and  by  the  general  tendency  of  all  its  articles, 
and  the  impressions  which  it  is  likely  to  make  upon  any 
truthful,  honest,  fair  man.  Let  me  say  it  with  all  rever- 
ence, that  there  are  books  and  epistles  in  the  Scriptures 
themselves  which  could  be  proved  defective,  doubtful,  and 
liable  to  be  misunderstood,  if  the  same  principles  of  carping 
Colenso  criticism  are  applied  to  them  as  those  which  have 
been  applied  by  the  Record  to  Good  Words. 

"...  I  must  presume  that  you,  my  dear  Sir,  are  neitlier 


i862 — 63.  145 

acquainted  personally  with  Kingsley  nor  Stanley,  and  that 
you  have  not  read  their  works  with  care.  Writing  hur- 
riedly, as  you  have  done,  you  may  have  accepted  without 
mature  reflection  the  application  of  the  verses  from  2  Cor. 
vi.  15,  16,  first  suggested  by  the  Record.  But  Avere  I,  who 
have  the  honour  and  privilege  of  knowing  these  men — while 
differing,  as  I  have  said,  very  decidedly  from  many  of 
their  views — to  indulge  such  a  thought  regarding  our 
relative  position,  I  should  loathe  myself  as  a  Pharisee  of 
the  Pharisees,  and  despise  myself  as  the  meanest  hypo- 
crite on  earth.  I  have  'great  personal  respect  for  the 
characters  of  Trollope,  Kingsley,  and  Stanley,  as  well  as 
admiration  of  their  genius,  though  they  occupy  very 
different  walks  in  literature.  I  have  the  privilege  of 
knowing  Dr.  Stanley  more  intimately  than  the  others,  and 
I  am  glad  to  have  even  this  opportunity  of  expressing  to 
you  my  profound  conviction  that  he  has  a  fear  of  God,  a 
love  for  Christ  and  for  his  fellow-men,  a  sense  of  honour, 
truth,  and  justice,  such  as  I  should  rejoice  to  believe  were 
even  seriously  aimed  at  by  the  conductors  of  the  Record. 
The  passage  you  hastily  apply  to  such  a  man  as  Stanley 
— I  feel  assured,  without  the  full  meaning  I  attach  to  it 
— was,  nevertheless,  coolly  written  and  printed  in  the 
Record,  and  applied  also  to  myself,  Lee,  Tulloch,  Caird, 
and  has  been  transferred  to  the  separate  j^ublication 
of  its  so-called  criticisms  on  Good  Words.  As  to  the 
application  of  the  more  harmless  and  peaceful  image  from 
Deuteronomy  which  you  quote  : — '  Thou  shalt  not  plough 
with  an  ox  and  an  ass  to2:ether,'  I  shall,  with  confidence, 
leave  your  own  good  taste  to  make  it,  if  you  can  suppose 
Arthur  Stanley  and  the  'Chelsea  Pensioner'  writing  together 
in  Good  Words. 

"...  But  whatever  may  become  of  Good  Words,  I 
am  grieved  to  see  the  tendency,  on  the  part  of  some  good 
men  in  the  Evangelical  Church,  to  cast  away  from  their 
heart  and  sympathies  in  such  a  crisis  as  the  present,  the 
cordial  aid  which  men  must  devoted  to  Christ  and  His 
kingdom  are  willing  to  afford  to  the  cause  which  all  have 
at  heart,  the  very  moment  they  refuse  in  some  one  point, 
to  shape  their  plans,  or  even  their  jjhrases,  to  the  stereo- 

VOL.    II.  L 


146  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

typed  form  -wliicli  some  small  party  have  sanctioned,  ns 
being  the  only  type  of  '  evangelieism.'  They  are  too  apt 
to  be  governed  by  the  mere  letter  and  words,  instead  of 
looking  into  the  spirit  and  realities  of  things,  and  thus 
unconsciously  accept  the  well-known  advice  given  in  Faust 
to  a  student  by  one  whom  I  need  not  name,  but  who  is, 
I  suspect,  not  ignorant  of  many  of  the  private  conspiracies 
against  good  men  in  the  oflSce  of  the  Record. 

*Iin  ganzen — haJtet  eitchan  Worfe  ! 

Dann  geht  ihr  durch  die  sichre  Pforte 

Zum  Tempel  der  Gewissheit  ein.'     .... 
***** 

•  Mit  Worten  lasst  sich  trefflicli  streiten, 
Mit  Worten  ein  System  bereiten, 
An  Worte  lasst  sich  trefflish  glauben, 
Von  einem  Wort  lasst  sich  kein  Iota  rauben.' 

"  With  a  good  conscience  towards  God  and  man,  I  there- 
fore crave  as  a  Christian  brother  pastor,  seeking  to  aid  his 
Master's  work,  the  sympathy  of  the  good  men  of  all  parties, 
and  of  all  churches — for  Good  Words  belongs  to  all.  If 
this  is  denied  me,  by  even  a  few,  on  those  few  be  the  respon- 
sibility of  weakening  my  hands  and  my  efforts.  Profoundly 
convinced,  however,  of  a  higher  sympathy,  I  shall  go  on  as 
I  have  begun,  with  a  firm,  clear  purpose,  and  a  peaceful, 
courageous  heart.  As  I  have  sung  long  ago,  I  sing  now, 
and  hope  to  do  so  till  my  voice  is  silent — 

'  Trust  no  party,  cbnrch,  or  faction, 
Trust  no  leaders  in  the  fight ; 
But  in  every  -word  and  action, 
Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right ! 

'  Some  will  hate  thee,  some  will  love  tliee, 

Some  will  flatter,  some  will  slight. 

Cease  from  man,  and  look  above  thee, 

Trust  in  God,  and  do  the  right ! ' " 


To  the  Rev.  W.  F.  Stevenson  : — 

"  I  had  a  most  delightful  visit  to  Dublin. 
"  What  I  saw  of  efforts  to  convert  Romanists   has  left 
that  problem  darker  than  ever.      Whatever  is  right,  those 


i862 — 63. 


H7 


controversial  meetings — if  the  one  I  Wcas  present  at  was 
a  fair  specimen — are  an  abomination.  '  Ach !  luas  fiir  ein 
shandal ! ' 

"  I  have  written  a  long  letter  in  reply  to  Professor , 

I  think  you  will  approve  of  it. 


"My  first  edition  was — 


"  My  second  was — 

"  ^ly  third  is — 

"  And  so  I  am  more  at  ease. 


"I  feel  the  importance  of  this  discussion.  It  will  be  a 
blessing  if  we  give  freedom  to  Christian  literature,  and 
yet  keep  it  within  holy  ground.  It  will  be  a  blessing 
too,  if  we  can  make  good  men  see  their  way  to  more  tolera- 
tion and  largeness  of  sympathy," 

From  the  Eev.  A.  P.  Stanley,  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History  : — 
Cheist  CmjECH,  Oxford,  June  13,  1863. 
"For  my  part    I   would    at  once   relieve  you   of   my 
presence   in    Good    ^Yords,  but  I  consider    the    principle 

L   2 


148  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

which  you  advocate  in  your  letter  to  be  so  good,  that  I 
shall  be  sorry  to  do  so.  'The  ox  and  ass'  must  ^jlough 
togetlicr  in  tlie  Christian  dispensation,  though  they  were 
forbidden  to  do  so  in  the  Mosaic." 


From  the  late  Canon  Kingsley  : — 

CA^iiBRrDGE,  Saturday  night. 

"  I  have  sent  off  my  copy.  If  anything  in  it  seems  to 
you  not  fit  for  your  readers,  you  are  to  strike  your  pen 
through  it  without  fear. 

"  I  can  trust  utterly  your  liberality  and  good  sense.  I 
am  old  enough  to  know,  with  Hesiod,  that  half  is  some- 
times better  than  the  whole.  I  have  full  means  in  Eng- 
land of  speaking  my  whole  mind  as  often  as  I  Avish.  It 
is  for  you  to  decide  how  much  thereof  can  be  spoken  with- 
out oftence  to  your  70,000  readers.  So  do  what  you  like 
with  the  paper, 

"  I  should  say  this  to  very  few  editors  upon  earth,  but  I 
say  it  to  you  as  a  matter  of  course." 


To  A.  Strahan,  Esq. : — 

"  Let  us  be  very  careful,  not  to  admit  through  over- 
sight one  sentence  which  ought  to  pain  a  Christian,  how- 
ever weak  he  may  be.  In  one  word,  let  us  honestly, 
sincerely,  humbly,  truthfully  do  what  is  right,  and  dare 
the  devil  whether  he  comes  as  an  infidel  or  a  Pharisee. 

•'  We  have  an  immense  talent  given  us,  let  us  use  it 
well. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  Good  Words  will  be  injured,  but  it 
will  perish  before  I  truckle  to  any  party." 


To  the  Same  : — 

"  I  have  read  Number  1  of  the  Record;  but  the  louder 
the  wind  pipes,  and  the  gurlier  the  sea  gets  from  that 
quarter,  the  more  calm,  steadfast  I  feel  to  steer  right  on 
by  the  compass  of  a  good  conscience,  by  the  old  chart,  the 
Bible. 


iS6z — 63.  149 

"  Thank  God  T  have  you  as  my  first  mate,  and  not  some 
Quaker.  I  know  you  won't  flinch  in  a  gale  of  wind,  nor 
will  I,  take  my  word  for  it ! 

"  I  don't  mean  to  take  any  notice  at  present,  although 
I  would  like  to  speak  out  on  the  whole  subject  of  religious 
periodical  literature  as  it  was  and  is — what  is  good  in  it  and 
what  is  bad,  what  its  duties  are  and  its  shortcomings.  I 
think  this  will  do  nuich  good  to  the  religious  atmosphere.  It 
is  very  close  at  present.  In  the  meantime  I  shall  act  on 
my  old  motto,  '  Trust  in  God  and  do  the  right.' " 

In  the  same  year  in  which  he  was  attacked  by  the 
Recordj  he  had  an  opportunity  of  showing  how  little 
ground  there  was  for  the  most  serious  of  the  charges 
brought  against  him  as  editor.  He  had  asked  a 
celebrated  novelist,  a  personal  friend,  for  whose 
character  and  opinions  he  ever  retained  unqualified 
respect,  to  write  the  tale  for  the  following  year. 
But,  when  the  story  was  submitted  to  him,  he  saw 
that  it  was  not  suitable  for  the  Magazine.  There 
was,  of  course,  nothing  morally  wrong  in  its  tone, 
but  as  all  its  '  religious  '  people  were  drawn  of  a  type 
which  justly  deserved  the  lash  of  the  satirist,  he  felt 
that  to  publish  it  in  Good  Words  would  be  to  lend 
the  sanction  of  its  conductors  to  what  he  had  long 
considered  the  injustice  of  modern  novelists  in  ignor- 
ing healthy  Christianity.  A  friendly  correspondence 
followed,*  from  which  it  appeared  that  the  editor 
and  his  friend  had  misunderstood  each  other ;  but 
so  determined  was  Dr.  Macleod  and  his  publishers 
not  to  compromise  the  character  of  Good  Words,  that 
the  forfeit  of  £500  was  paid  and  the  story  declined. 

*  The  novelist  wto  is  referred  to  above  thus  writes : — "  I  need  not 
say  that  Dr.  Macleod's  rejection  of  the  story  never  for  a  moment 
interfered  with  our  friendship.  It  certainly  raised  my  opinion  of  the 
man." 


150  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To :— 

"  N.B. — This  letter  Avill  keep  cold  till  you  fire  at  peace 
with  all  the  world,  with  a  pipe  well  filled,  and  drawing 
well.      Read  it  then,  or  a  bit  each  day  for  a  mouth. 

Glasgow,  June  11,  1863. 

"...  You  are  not  Avrong  ;  nor  have  you  MTonged 
me  or  my  publishers  in  any  way.  I  frankly  admit  this. 
L)Ut  neither  am  I  wrong.  This,  '  by  your  leave,'  I  assert. 
The  fact  is  that  I  misunderstood  you  and  you  me,  though 
r  more  than  you  have  been  the  cause  of  the  misunder- 
Btanding. 

"  What  I  tried  to  explain  and  wished  you  to  see  when 
we  met  here  Avas,  the  peculiar  place  which  Good  Words 
aimed  at  occupying  in  the  field  of  cheap  Christian  litera- 
ture. I  have  always  endeavoured  to  avoid,  on  the  one 
hand,  the  exclusively  narrow  religious  ground — narrow  in 
its  choice  of  subjects  and  in  its  manner  of  treating  them 
— ^hitherto  occupied  by  our  religious  periodicals  ;  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  to  avoid  altogether  whatever  was  anta- 
gonistic to  the  truths  and  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  also 
as  much  as  possible  whatever  was  calculated  to  ofiend  the 
prejudices,  far  more  the  sincere  convictions  and  feelings, 
of  fair  and  reasonable  '  EvangeHcal '  men.  Within  these 
extremes  it  seemed  to  me  that  a  sufiiciently  extensive  field 
existed,  in  which  any  novelist  might  roam  and  find  an 
endless  variety  of  life  and  manners  to  describe  with  profit 
to  all,  and  Avithout  giving  ofience  to  an}?-.  This  problem 
which  I  wished  to  solve  did  not  and  does  nOt  seem  to  me 
a  very  difficult  one,  unless  for  very  one-sided  '  Evangelical ' 
or  anti-'  EvangeHcal '  writers.  At  all  events,  being  a  clergy- 
man as  well  as  an  editor — the  one  from  deepest  convic- 
tions, though  the  other,  I  fear,  is  from  the  deepest  mis- 
take— I  could  not  be  else  than  sensitive  lest  anything  should 
appear  in  Good  Words  out  of  harmony  with  my  convic- 
tions and  my  profession.  Well,  then,  was  I  wrong  in 
assuming  that  you  were  an  honest  believer  in  revealed 
Christian  truth  ?  I  was  not.  Was  I  wrong  in  beheving 
and  hoping  that  there  were  many  truly  Christian  aspects 
of  Hfe,  as  well   as  the   canting  and  humbug  ones,  with 


iSbz — 63.  151 

whicli  you  heartily  sympathized,  and  which  you  were  able 
and  disposed  to  delineate  ?     I  was  not. 

"  Perhaps  I  had  no  ground  for  hoping  that  you  would 
give  me   a  different  kind   of  story  from  those  you  had 
hitherto  published.      If  so,  forgive  me  this  wrong.      Pos- 
sibly the    Avish    was    father   to    the    thought.       But   the 
thought  did  not  imply  that  any  of  your  former  novels  had 
boon  false  either  to  your  own  world  within  or  to  the  big 
world  without — false  to  truth  or  to  nature.      It  assumed 
only  that  you  could  with  your  whole  heart  produce  another 
novel  which,  instead  of  showing  up  what  was  weak,  false, 
disgusting  in  professing  Christians,  might  also  bring  out, 
as  has  never  yet  been  done,  what  Christianity  as  a  living 
power  derived  from  faith  in  a  living  Saviour,  and  working 
in  and  through  living  men  and  women,  does,  has  done,  and 
will  do,  what  no  other  known  power  can  accomplish  in 
the  world,  for  the  good  of  the  individual  or  mankind.      If 
no  such  power  exists,  neither  Christ  nor  Christianity  exists  ; 
and   if  it  does,    I  must  confess   that  most   of  our  great 
noveHsts  are,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  marvellously  modest  in 
acknowledging  it.      The  weaknesses,    snares,   hypocrisies, 
gloom   of    some  species    of    professing  Christians  are  all 
described    and    magnified  ;     but    what     of    the    genuine, 
heaven-born  Christian  element  ?     Why,  when  one  reads  of 
the  good  men  in  most  novels,  it  can  hardly  be  discovered 
where  tliey  got  their  goodness  ;  but  let  a  parson,  a  deacon, 
a  Church  member  be  introduced,  and   at  once  we  guess 
where  they  have  had  their  badness  from — they  were  pro- 
fessing Christians. 

"  Now  all  this,  and  much  more,  was  the  substance  of 
my  sermon  to  you. 

"  Now,   my  good  ,  you  have  been  in  my  humble 

opinion  guilty  of  committing  this  fault,  or,  as  you  might 
say,  praiseworthy  in  doing  this  good,  in  your  story.  You 
hit  right  and  left ;  give  a  wipe  here,  a  sneer  there,  and 
thrust  a  mxstj  prong  into  another  place  ;  cast  a  gloom  over 
Dorcas  societies,  and  a  glory  over  balls  lasting  till  four  in  the 
morning.  In  short,  it  is  the  old  story.  The  shadow  over 
the  Church  is  broad  and  deep,  and  over  every  other  spot 
sunshine  reigns.      That  is   the  general  impression   which 


iSZ  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

the  story  gives,  so  far  as  it  goes.  Tliere  is  notliing,  of 
course,  bad  or  vicious  in  it — that  coukl  not  be  from  you 
— but  quite  enough,  and  that  witliout  any  necessity  from 
3'our  head  or  lieart,  to  keep  Good  Words  and  its  editor 
in  boihng  water  until  either  or  both  were  boiled  to  death. 
I  feel  pretty  certain  that  you  either  do  not  comprehend 
my  difficulties,  or  laugh  in  pity  at  my  bigotry.  Lut  I 
cannot  help  it. 

"  You  do  me,  however,  wrong  in  thinking,  as  you  seem 
to  do,  that  apart  from  the  structure  of  your  st(jry,  and 
merely  because  of  your  name,  I  have  sacrificed  you  to  the 
Record,  and  to  the  cry  it  and  its  followers  have  raised 
against  you  as  well  as  against  me.  My  only  pain  is  that 
the  Record  will  suppose  that  its  attack  has  bullied  me 
into  the  rejection  of  your  story. 

"  I  know  well  that  m}'  position  is  difficult,  and  that 
too  because  I  do  not  write  to  please  both  parties,  but 
simply  because  I  wish  to  produce,  if  possible,  a  magazine 
w'hich,  though  too  wide  for  the  '  Evangelicals '  and  too 
narrow  for  the  anti-'  Evangelicals,'  and  therefore  disliked  by 
both  cliques,  may  nevertheless  rally  round  it  in  the  long  run 
the  sympathies  of  all  who  occupy  the  middle  ground  of  a 
decided,  sincere,  and  manly  Evaugelical  Christianity." 


To  J.  M.  LuDi.ow,  Esq. : — 

"  I  really  cannot  ascertain  anything  reliable  about  the 
election  of  librarian. 

"  In  summer  the  College  is  dead,  the  professors  fled 
— no  one  hut  waiters  or  seagidls  know  whither.  For  aught 
I  know,  the  books  are  olf  too,  to  wash  their  bindings, 
or  to  purge  themselves  of  their  errors.  The  very  porters 
have  vanished,  or  locked  themselves  up.  I  believe  the 
animals  in  the  museum  are  gone  to  their  native  haunts. 
The  clock  is  stopped.  The  spiders  have  grown  to  a 
fearful  size  in  the  class-rooms.  Hebrew  roots  have 
developed  into  trees  ;  divinity  has  perished.  Who  knows 
your  friend  in  that  desert  ?  I  went  to  inquire  about  him, 
and  fled  in  terror  from  the  grave  of  the  dead  sciences." 


i862 — 63.  153 

The  letter  which  follows  refers  to  a  bereavement 
which  had  overtaken  his  uncle,  the  minister  of 
Morven,  and  which  had  left  him  peculiarly  desolate 
and  lonely  in  the  old  home  of  Fiunary.  Norman  was 
preparing  for  a  short  tour  on  the  Continent  when 
the  sad  news  reached  him.  He  at  once  gave  up  his 
promised  holiday  abroad  and  went  to  Morven. 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

PiUNARY,  June  27,  1863. 

"  It  is  blowing  and  raining  outside,  the  Sound  looks 
cold  and  dreary,  and  within  there  is  a  dead  wife  and  a 
husband  who  would  rejoice  if  he  were  laid  beside  her. 

"  Everything  here  seems  dead — the  hills,  rocks,  and 
sea — all  are  but  things ;  the  persons  who  were  their  life 
have  gone,  and  there  are  few  even  to  speak  of  the  old 
familiar  faces.  Verily  a  man's  life  can  be  found  in  God 
only.  Peace  we  can  have- — it  must  be  ;  hajopiness 
may  be." 

"Monday,  6th  July. — Yesterday  was  a  holy  day.  With- 
out it  was  one  of  surj)assing  splendour  ;  within,  of  holy 
peace.  I  preached.  There  was  a  large  congregation  of 
the  livinsf,  but  almost  as  larsfe  of  the  dead,  or  rather  the 
Church  above  and  below  were  visibly  present  to  my  spirit, 
so  that  we  verily  seemed,  '  whether  alive  or  asleep,  to  live 
together  with  Him,'  and  to  be  all  partr,king  the  com- 
munion of  His  Body  and  Blood— eating  of  the  living 
Bread.  The  old  Manse  family — father,  grandfather  and 
grandmother,  aunts  and  uncles,  down  to  dear  Margaret — 
seemed  to  be  all  present,  and  I  never  enjoyed  more  peace, 
and  never  was  my  heart  so  full. 

"  The  scene  in  the  churchyard  was  perfect,  as  I  sat  at 
the  old  cross  and  gazed  on  the  sea,  calm  as  the  sea  of 
glass,  with  scattered  sails  and  blue  hills,  and  the  silence 
broken  by  no  footfall  on  the  green  grass,  but  by  the 
distant  voice  of  the  preacher  or  the  sound  of  psalms  ; 
with  the  lark  overhead  singing  in  joy,  or  the  lambs 
bleating  among  the  hills,  or  the  passing  hum  of  the  bee. 


15-j  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

busy  and  contented.  Life  was  over  all,  and  in  spite  of 
death,  I  think  a  breath  of  God's  own  life  revived  dear 
John's  heart. 

"  I  send  you  a  number  of  the  Cltristian  Observer  on 
Good  Words. 

•'  It  is  too  kind  to  me.  I  thank  God  it  has  lifted  ofl^ 
the  burthen  of  dislike  I  was  beginning  to  feel  to  the 
'  Evangelical '  party  in  England,  as  if  there  was  no  justice, 
mercy,  or  truth  in  them.  The  Record,  I  see,  does  but 
misrepresent  them  all. 

"  I  feel  deeply  the  kind  advice  he  gives,  and  sympa- 
thize, as  you  know,  with  it.  They  don't  know  how  I 
have  fought  *  the  world '  for  the  Church,  and  Avhat  I 
have  kept  out.     But  I  accept  with  thanks  the  caution. 

"  May  God  help  me  to  know  and  do  His  will,  ajid  to 
have  kind  thoughts  of  all  men." 


From  his  JouRNAl, : — 

"  Early  in  October  I  went  to  fulal  engagements  in  Eng- 
land. Preached  in  Liverpool,  London,  Stockport,  and 
Ashton,  and  collected  for  the  diflerent  objects,  in  all, 
£1,087.  Spent  a  day  at  Bolton  Abbey — a  glorious  day, — 
delighted  with  the  scenery,  and  made  glad  by  human  kind- 
ness. 

"  Mr.    ,    ]\LP.    for   ,    was    angry   because    I 

preached  for  Nonconformists  !  The  Church  of  England 
won't  let  me  preach  in  her  pulpits,  and  out  of  respect  for 
the  Church  he  thinks  I  should  preach  for  no  one  else  ! 

"  I  think  it  not  only  allowable,  but  right,  in  the  Stock- 
port Sunday  schools,  to  teach  reading,  writing,  and  music 
to  the  poor,  who  are  obliged  to  work  all  the  week,  and 
who  can  go  nowhere  else.  What  I  object  to  is — 1,  that 
well-to-do  children  should  be  thus  taught ;  2,  that  arith- 
metic should  be  taught  on  Sunday. 

"  I  like  the  Nonconformists  for  their  liberality  ;  but 
I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that  a  country  must 
have  many  Churches  to  express  and  feed  different  minds, 
and  that  the  Establishment  is  a  huge  blessing  along 
with  Dissent. 


1862—63.  155 

"  Octoher,  Saturday. — Went  to  Balmoral — found  Glad- 
stone had  gone.  Found  the  old  hearty  and  ha];py  friends. 
Preached  in  the  morning  on  '  Peace  not  happiness,'  and  in 
the  church  on  '  The  Gadarene  demoniac' 

'"What  do  you  think?'  said  little  Princess  Beatrice  to 
me.  '  I  am  an  aunt,  Dr.  jMacleod,  yet  my  nephew  William 
(of  Prussia)  won't  do  what  I  bid  him  !  Both  he  and  Eliza- 
beth refused  to  shut  the  door!  Is  that  not  naughty?'  I 
never  saw  truer,  or  more  natural,  healthy  children.  God 
bless  them  ! 

"  Monday. — Lady  Augusta,  Dr.  Jenner,  and  I,  drove  to 
Garbhalt.  At  night  I  read  Burns  and  '  Old  Mortality ' 
aloud  to  the  Court.  The  Poyal  Family  were  not  present. 
General  Grey  is  quite  up  to  the  Scotch. 

"  Tuesday. — Drove  to  Aberdeen  to  the  inauguration  of 
the  Prince  Consort's  statue. 

"  Here  let  me  go  back  to  impress  on  my  memory  the 
glorious  Monday  at  the  Garbhalt.  The  day  was  delicious. 
The  river  was  full,  and  of  that  dark -brown,  mossy  hue 
which  forms  such  a  fine  contrast  of  colour  to  the  foam  of 
the  stream  and  the  green  banks.  The  view  of  the  woods, 
the  valley,  Invercauld,  and  the  mountains,  was  superb. 
The  forests  were  coloured  with  every  shade,  from  the 
deep  green  of  the  pines  and  firs,  to  the  golden  tints  of 
the  deciduous  trees.  Masses  of  sombre  shadow,  broken  by 
masses  of  light,  intermingled  over  the  brown  hills  and 
broad  valley,  while  the  distant  hills  and  clouds  met  in 
glorious  confusion.  It  was  a  day  to  be  had  in  remem- 
brance. 

"  I  was  asked  Friday  fortnight  to  go  to  Inverary  to 
meet  the  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  of  Prussia.  I  did  so, 
and  returned  Saturday.      It  was  a  happy  visit. 

"  The  Monday  following  I  went  to  visit  Prince  Alfred 
at  Holyrood,  and  staid  till  Wednesday.  The  Crown 
Prince  and  Princess  there.  I  think  the  Crown  Prince  a 
simple,  frank,  unaffected,  and  affectionate  man. 

"  We  had  an  evening  party,  and  they  left  on  Tuesday 
night  at  ten. 

"  We  have  had  a  small  newspaper-letter  controversy 
about    the    Estabhshed    Church    becoming    Episcopalian. 


156  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Nonsense  !  We  must  hold  fast  by  our  own  past,  and 
from  this  national  root  grow  up  in  adaptation  to  the 
necessities  of  the  times  in  all  things  non-essential,  and 
from  their  nature  variable.  But  such  a  union  is  impossi- 
ble !  The  Free  Church  speaks  of  uniting  with  the  United 
Presbyterian.  It  will  be  a  queer  evolution  in  history, 
utterly  inexplicable  on  any  principle  save  that  of  church 
ambition. 

"  They  will  cease  to  exist  the  moment  they  join.  They 
will  have  lost  all,  the  U.  P.'s  gained  all,  and  we  much. 
Our  strength  must  be  in  the  width  of  our  sympathies — in 
our  national  iwclusiveness,  not  ^a;clusiveness. 

"  An  amusing,  silly,  yet  not  unimportant  event  has 
occurred  in  relation  to  Good  ^yoTds.  The  Free  Presbytery 
of  Strathbogie  has  overtured  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Free  Church  against  it.  Against  a  CcZ.  periodical,  with 
which  they  have  nothing  to  do !  This  is  to  me  very 
interesting  as  a  social  phenomenon.  Oh,  my  God.  help 
me  to  be  charitable  !  Help  me  to  be  weak  to  the  weak, 
to  be  silent  about  them,  and  to  do  Thy  will ! 

''November  27th. — Thank  God,  my  working  man's 
church  is  in  a  fair  way  of  being  finished.  I  have 
realised  £1,700,  and  I  feel  assured  God  will  give  me  the 
£2,500. 

"  We  have  taken  ground  for  a  school  and  a  church  at 
Parkhead.  All  in  faith  that  God  will  provide  tlie  money 
for  both. 

"  The  workinsf  men's  services  have  been  carried  on  since 
November  1,  and  never  were  better  attended.  Thank 
God! 

"  But  I  have  boon  two  years  trying  to  get  up  a  working 
man's  church.  There  are  noble  exceptions  ;  but  I  have 
found  shocking  illustrations  of  the  spirit  of  greed  among 
the  wealthy. 

"  The  sun  of  life  is  setting.  Let  me  work,  and  rest  in 
soul. 

"  Thackeray  is  dead,  a  most  kind-hearted  man.  ^I.ic- 
nab  told  me  that  he  had  him  in  charge  coming  home  from 
Calcutta,  and  that  the  day  after  he  parted  from  him  in 
London,  the  boy  returned,  and  throwing  his  arms  about 


i862 — 63.  I5y 

Ms  neck,  burst  into  tears,  from  sheer  affection  in  meetino- 
his  friend  again.  He  said  he  never  knew  a  more  lovino- 
boy.  Thackeray  was  in  Weimar  the  year  before  I  was 
there.  We  had  a  long  talk  about  the  old  place  and 
people.      I  felt  he  had  a  genuine  heart. 

"Delivered  again  my  lecture  on  East  and  West  in 
Glasgow.  I  think  God  is  giving  me  a  great  work  to  do 
in  Glasgow  for  the  poor.  It  must  and  will  be  done  by 
some  one,  why  not  me  ?  I  am  nothing  except  as  an 
instrument,  and  God  can  make  use  of  me. 

"D.V.,  let  this  be  my  work  for  '64." 


ClIAPTEE  XYII. 

1864—65. 

HE  lias  given  in  '  Eastward'  so  full  an  account  of 
his  visit  to  Palestine  that  it  would  be  super- 
fluous to  quote  at  any  length  from  the  letters  he  sent 
to  his  family.  He  was  accompanied  on  this  tour 
by  Mr.  Strahan,  his  publisher,  and  by  his  brother 
Donald  ;  and  from  first  to  last  it  afforded  him 
unmingled  enjoyment.  Every  new  event,  whether 
it  were  a  cyclone  or  a  donkey-ride,  gave  him  fresh 
pleasure  ;  every  remarkable  spot,  from  Malta  to 
Constantinople,  stirred  his  enthusiasm. 

Any  one  who  has  travelled  in  Palestine  can  under- 
stand how  fatiguing  it  must  have  been  for  a  man  of 
his  age  and  physique  to  pass  days  in  the  saddle  in  such 
a  climate.  Yet  there  were  few  evenings  on  which 
the  encampment  was  not  made  a  scene  of  merriment 
by  his  good-natured  fun  with  the  Fellahin  or  Bedawin 
who  crowded  round  the  tents.  He  had  provided 
himself,  before  Leaving  London,  with  musical  snuff- 
boxes and  fireworks,  and  it  was  his  delight  to  hear 
the  '  MashallahP  of  the  astonished  natives  when  music 
burst  out  in  some  unexpected  corner,  or  when  a 
rocket  whizzed  aloft  and  fell  in  a  shower  of  fire.     He 


i864 — 65.  ,5g 

claimed  this  use  of  fireworks  as  an  original  inven- 
tion for  the  protection  of  travellers,  and  he  was  so 
confident  of  its  merits  that  he  would  not  have  been 
sorry  had  the  Bedawin  of  the  Jordan  given  him  a  fair 
opportunity  of  showing  the  eff'ect  on  their  valour  of 
a  discharge  of  crackers  or  a  bouquet  of  rockets. 


From  Hs  Jottrnal  : — 

"February  14. — I  start  to-morroAv  with  Donald  and 
Strahan  for  Palestine.  To  leave  my  wife  and  children  and 
parish  for  so  long  a  time  I  feel  to  be  very  solemn.  Why 
take  it  ?  I  have  a  free  conscience  towards  God — He  has 
cleared  aAvay  every  difficulty,  so  that  I  hope,  come  what 
may,  that  it  is  His  will  that  I  go — and  that  I  am  not  de- 
ceiving myself  in  thinking  so. 

"  May  my  darling  mother  be  preserved  to  me,  and  my 
dear  brothers  and  sisters. 

"  Oh  Thou  who  hast  hitherto  led  me,  bring  me  back  in 
safety,  and  bless  this  tour  for  health  of  body  and  soul ! " 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

"...  I  cannot  convey  to  you  the  impression  which  that 
night's  exploration  of  Malta  made  upon  me.  I  associate  it 
with  Venice  and  the  Kremlin  as  the  three  sights  which 
most  surpassed  my  expectation  and  delighted  me,  though 
in  different  ways.  The  night  was  glorious  ;  I  read  a  note 
in  the  moonlight  Avith  the  most  perfect  ease,  and  there  was 
shed  over  every  object  a  subdued  brightness,  which,  with 
the  perfect  calm  and  silence  everywhere,  gave  the  whole 
scene  a  marvellous  beauty.  We  passed  uj)  steep  narroAV 
streets,  the  houses  so  oriental-looking,  with  flat  roofs  and 
every  variety  of  balcony — quite  Moorish.  We  stood  before 
the  palace  and  church  of  the  old  knights,  and  could  dis- 
tinguish every  tracery  of  the  Saracenic  architecture,  which 
all  seemed  as  if  erected  yesterday.  We  reached  at  last  the 
Barrocca,  where  there  is  a  famous  view  of  the  great  harbour, 
and  were  admitted  into  the  battery  through  the  favour  of 


i6o  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

the  gunner.  We  then  gazed  down  on  t'le  dark  water,  with 
dark  ships  of  war  asleep,  and  the  diamond  brilHant  lights 
of  boats  skimming  along,  from  which  a  Maltese  song 
was  heard  from  the  boatmen,  every  note  ringing  through 
the  elastic  air.  Batteries,  batteries  everywhere ;  huge 
white  Avails  of  solid  rock,  precipices  in  Imes  and  angles, 
and  rampart  above  rampart,  lined  with  huge  guns  that 
looked  down  into  the  harbour  and  were  surrounded  by 
piles  of  shot  ;  endless — endless  walls  and  bastions,  that 
made  one  giddy  to  look  down,  all  gleaming  in  the  moon- 
light, with  sentinels  pacing  in  silence,  their  bayonets 
glancing,  and  the  English  voice  alone  heard,  *  Who  goes 
there  ? '  You  can  have  no  idea  what  a  poem  it  was  !  We 
came  at  last  to  the  bastion  on  which  Lord  Hastings  is 
buried,  and  I  cannot  tell  you  what  I  felt  as  I  stood  beside 
his  mausoleum,  with  the  Avhite  marble  statue  of  a  figure 
reclining  upon  a  couch.  I  could  trace  his  features  in  the 
moonlight,  so  sweet  and  sad.  How  the  whole  scene  became 
mingled,  you  know^  how,  with  my  past  life  as  connected 
with  his  widow  and  family !  I  felt  so  thankful  to  have 
seen  it. 

"  I  was  immensely  impressed  also  by  such  buildings  as 
the  Library  of  the  Knights  and  the  Palace  of  the  Grand 
Master,  now  the  Governor's  residence.  It  does  one's  heart 
good  to  be  made  to  realise  the  existence  of  men  of  taste 
and  power  like  these  knights,  whom  God  raised  up  to  judge 
Israel  and  to  defend  the  Church  from  the  Philistine  Turks. 
In  Scotland  we  forget  all  that  was  here  done  by  God,  '  in 
various  times  and  divers  manners,'  for  the  good  of  the 
Church  and  of  the  world.  We  know  more  about  the 
Burcfhcrs  and  Anti-Burijfhers  than  about  these  grand 
knights  who  did  their  part  so  well,  but  who,  when  they 
had  done  this,  Avere  removed  for  something  better." 


To  his  Children  : — 

From  Jaffa. 
"  Dr.  Philip,  the  missionary,  was  waiting  for  us,  and  had 
horses,  so  we  set  off  to  his  farm.      It  was  a  lovely  starry 
night,    Avithout   a   moon.      We    passed    through   lanes    of 


1864 — 65. 


i6i 


Cactus  or  prickly  pear,  in  some  places  fifteen  feet  liigli, 
on  every  side  orange  groves,  and  tlie  wliole  air  filled  with 
the  croaking  of  froufs. 

"  This  has  been  another  delightful  day,  full  of  interest 
and  enjoyment.  This  family  is  so  nice.  There  are  four 
girls.  They  have  just  been  sitting  on  my  knee  and  say- 
ing, *  Oh,  do  tell  another  story.'  I  have  played  '  London 
town  '  with  them,  and  given  them  such  a  tickling  !  I  have 
also  swallowed  the  tumbler,  and  done  all  my  tricks,  and 
let  off  a  Roman  candle  to  amuse  them. 

"  The  roof  of  the  house  is  flat,  and  I  went  up  on  it. 
What  a  view !  To  the  west  the  blue  sea,  to  the  east  the 
hills  of  Judea.  The  house  itself  is  on  the  plain  of  Sharon. 
Within  a  mile  is  Jaffa,  where  Peter  lived  with  Simon  the 
tanner,  and  had  the  vision,  and  where  he  healed  Dorcas. 
The  road  is  close  to  the  garden  along  Avhich  he  must  have 
travelled  to  Cesarea  to  meet  the  Centurion ;  and  to  the 
south  we  could  see  Lydda,  where  he  healed  Eneas  who  was 
sick  of  the  palsy. 

"  Our  first  encampment  was  very  picturesque.  We  had 
a  beautiful,  immense  tent  with  five  nice  iron  beds,  carpets, 
bath,  wax  candles,  and  a  superb  dinner  of  several  courses, 
Avith  dessert,  &c.  But 
for  sleep  !  The  donkeys 
braying,  horses  kicking, 
camels  groaning,  Arabs 
chattering,  and  the  fleas 
and  musquitoes  biting  ! 
Fatisrue  alone  could  make 
us  sleep.  But  since  then 
we  sleep  famously.  With 
our  camels,  asses,  and 
horses  we  make  a  good 
appearance.  We  have 
dragoman,  cook,  servant, 
and  horsekeeper,  with 
camel  drivers,  who  sleep 
on  the  ground  beside  their 
noble  animals.  Meeki,  the  master  of  the  horses  and  asses, 
rides  in  front,  and  the  Dragoman  Hassan  rides  behind. 

VOL.    11.  M 


i62  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  But  I  must  tell  you  of  our  first  view  of  Jerusalem  ! 

"  It  was  about  four  when  we  reached  the  plain  before 
Gibeon,  and  saw  Neby  Samuel,  or  Mizpeh.  It  took  about 
half  an  hour's  riding  to  get  up  to  the  top  of  Mizpeh.  We 
ascended  to  the  summit  of  the  Mosque,  once  a  church,  and 
there  ! — such  a  sight  as  remains  for  life  on  the  memory. 
There  was  Jerusalem  !  .  .  .  . 

"  The  nearness  of  these  places  struck  me.  But  the 
grand  feature,  which  took  me  quite  by  surprise,  was  the 
huge  wild  wall  of  the  Dead  Sea  mountains  glowing  red  in 
the  setting  sun — so  wild,  so  majestic  a  setting.  And  then 
all  these  towns  in  sight,  with  such  memories  !  Below  us 
was  Gibeon  with  its  memory,  and  the  plain  at  our  feet 
where  the  battle  took  place,  and  the  steep  descent  doA\'n 
which  Joshua  drove  the  enemy,  and  then  farther  down  the 
plain  of  Philistia  and  the  sea,  Carmel  in  the  distance.  Was 
it  not  marvellous  ?  How  many  had  seen  Jerusalem  from 
this  point !  Here  Occur  de  Lion  first  saw  it,  and  millions 
more. 

"  We  rode  into  Jerusalem  by  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  with 
Olivet  to  the  left,  Gethsemane  below.  I  took  off  my  hat, 
and  in  my  heart  blessed  God,  as  my  horse's  hoofs  clattered 
through  the  gate." 


To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

jERl7SALE>r,  Talm  Siindaij,  20th  March. 

"  I  went  out  this  morning  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  about 
ten  o'clock.  The  morning  was  hot  but  not  sultry.  I 
walked  down  the  Via  Dolorosa,  as  every  street  in  Jerusalem 
may  well  bo  called,  if  filth  and  rubbish  may  be  called 
dolorous.  I  went  out  by  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  crossed  the 
Kedron,  and  ascended  Olivet  on  the  Bethany  road  until  I 
reached  the  top  where  Christ  wept  over  Jerusalem.  There 
I  paused.  The  spot  is  certain.  I  sat  there  and  read 
Mark  xiii.  (see  v.  3).  You  can  tell  within  a  few  yards 
wliere  He  stopped  and  gazed.  All  was  perfect  silence.  The 
birds  were  singing  among  the  olives,  the  bee  hummed 
from  flower  to  fiower.  0pi)0site  was  the  city,  from 
which  no  sound  proceeded.      Yet  I  could  have  made  my 


1864 — 65.  163 

words  heard  by  any  one  standing  on  tlie  Temple  area 
There  was  a  holy  stillness  in  the  scene  quite  indescribable. 
I  then  walked  slowly  over  a  part  of  Olivet  until  the  road 
above  Bethany  appeared.  It  wound  below  me.  Along  it 
that  procession  had  come  on  Palm  Sunday.  Along  it  He 
led  his  disciples  on  the  day  of  the  ascension,  and  from  the 
point  in  sight  above  the  village  He  probably  ascended.  I 
knelt  down  and  prayed  among  the  olives,  and  thanked  God 
for  all  my  marvellous  mercies,  and  commended  you  all  to 
His  care,  and  dedicated  myself  anew  to  His  service.  I 
retraced  my  steps,  and  descended  to  the  Kedron  through 
the  vast  burial-place  of  the  Jgavs.  It  is  an  old  tradition 
with  them  that  here  is  to  be  the  Day  of  Judgment,  and 
that  to  this  spot  all  souls  must  pass  through  the  earth. 
To  save  trouble,  they  are  here  buried.  The  hill  side 
is  paved  with  grave-stones  all  directed  towards  the  Temple, 
and  having  Hebrew  inscriptions.  Hundreds  and  thousands 
lie  here.  Jews  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  Rabbins 
and  rascals,  men  of  God  and  men  of  gold,  have  sought  a 
resting-place  here  ever  since  the  destruction  of  the  Temple. 
I  never  saw  such  a  valley  of  dry  bones.  It  reaches  up 
nearly  to  the  spot  where  Christ  wept  over  Jerusalem,  and 
is  at  once  a  sad  comment  on  Sis  tears,  and  yet  rebukes 
one  when  in  despair  it  is  said  of  the  Jews,  *  Can  these  dry 
bones  live  V 

"  I  passed  Gethsemane,  but  did  not  enter.  It  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  high  wall,  and  is  laid  out  like  a  cafe  restaurant. 
I  don't  believe  in  it,  so  I  passed  on  farther  up  the  valley, 
until  I  reached  a  spot  which  v/as  interesting  to  me  as  one 
which  would  have  ansv^ered  all  the  requirements  of  Calvary 
move  than  any  I  have  seen 

"  There  is  really  nothing  interesting  in  Jerusalem  itself. 
All  the  streets  are  narrow  lanes,  like  the  closes  in  Edin- 
burgh ;  some  of  them  covered  over  to  keep  the  heat  out, 
some  paved  with  slippery  stones,  some  rough  earth.  At 
the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  I  was  most  profoundly 
touched  by  watching  the  pilgrims  who  crushed  in  and  out. 
They  were  mostly  Russians  and  Copts,  with  Greeks  from 
the  Levant.  Oh  !  what  faces,  what  marvellous  faces, 
dresses  and  expressions  !     One  was  carried  centuries  back. 

M   2 


1 64  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

The  intense  and  atfectionate  devotion  with  which  some 
kissed  the  sepulchre  was  to  me  very  touching.  It  was  as 
a  God  to  them.  There  are  at  present  some  EngHsh  devotees, 
male  and  female,  here,  half  puppies,  half  superstitious.      In 

this  hotel  is  a  Mr.  ,  who  signs  himself  '  Priest  of  the 

Church  of  England,'  who  seems  to  be  father  confessor 
to  an  elderly  rich  lady.  They  walk  with  candles  in  the 
processions,  and  attend  all  the  services.  But  I  have  no 
time  to  tell  you  of  the  odd  half-cracked  characters  who 
come  to  this  city.  '  The  Church,'  '  The  Jews,'  '  The 
Millennium  '  are  the  crotchets.  The  Jews  and  the  Moslems 
have  their  crazes  also." 


To  his  Sister  Jane  : — 

From  Nazareth,  March  24th,  1SG4. 

"  An  hour  ago  I  left  my  tent  and  paced  slowly  along  a 
j^ath  which  led  to  a  low  ridge  of  hills,  or  'a  brae  face.' 
The  moon  was  shining  gloriously  among  the  stars,  our  own 
northern  stars,  in  a  cloudless  sky.  I  sat  down  and  gazed  on 
a  small  town  which  clasped  the  low  hills  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  narrow  valley,  like  a  necklace  of  white  coral.  At 
one  end,  and  down  in  the  valley  a  few  hundred  yards,  were 
the  lights  from  our  tents,  which,  in  the  pure  air,  scintillated 
like  diamonds.  Not  a  sound  Avas  heard  but  the  barking 
of  dogs,  and  the  croaking  of  frogs.  You  can  understand 
my  feelings  better  than  I  can  describe  them  when  I  tell 
you  that  the  village  was  Nazareth  !  And  you  can  sym- 
patliize  with  me  when  I  say  to  you  that,  after  gazing 
awhile  in  almost  breathless  silence,  and  thinking  of  Him 
Avho  had  there  lived  and  laboured  and  preached ;  and  see- 
ing in  the  moonlight  near  me  the  well  of  the  city  to  which 
He  and  ]\Iary  had  often  come,  and,  farther  off,  the  white 
preci2)ice  over  which  they  had  threatened  to  cast  Him  ;  and 
then  tracing  in  my  mind  the  histories  connected  with  other 
marvellous  scenes  in  His  life,  until  '  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
King  of  the  Jews'  died  at  Jerusalem,  and  all  the  inexpres- 
sibly glorious  results  since  that  day  which  has  made  the 
name  of  this  place  identical  with  the  glory  of  the  world  ; 
and  when  I  thought  of  all  that  I  and  others  dear  to  mo 


i864 — 65.  165 

had  received  from  Him,  and  from  all  He  was  and  did, 
you  will  not  wonder  that  I  knelt  down  and  poured  out 
my  soul  to  God  in  praise  and  prayer.  And  in  that  prayer 
there  mingled  the  events  of  my  past  life,  and  all  my 
friends  whom  I  loved  to  mention  by  name,  and  my  dear 
father,  and  the  old  Highlands,  the  state  of  the  Church 
and  of  the  world,  until  I  felt  Christ  so  real,  that  had  He 
appeared  and  spoken  it  would  not  have  seemed  strange. 
I  returned  more  solemnized  than  from  the  Communion, 
and  bless  God  for  such  an  hour.  Disappointed  with  Pales- 
tine !  I  cannot  tell  you  what  it  has  been  to  me,  more,  far, 
far  more  than  I  anticipated.  It  has  been  a  Holy  Land 
every  step  of  it,  I  have  drunk  instruction  and  enjoyment 
by  every  pore.  I  don't  care  for  the  towns,  for  they  are 
not  the  towns,  but  totally  different — but  the  sites  of  them, 
the  views  from  them,  the  relationship  of  one  to  another  ! 
Oh !  it  is  inexpressibly  deliglitful.  Think  only  of  this 
one  day.  From  an  old  tower  in  Jezreel  I  looked  out  at  one 
window ;  there  was  Gilboa  beside  me,  and  below,  srleamincr 
in  the  sunshine,  the  well  of  Gideon,  and  beyond  Bethshan, 
where  the  bodies  of  Saul  and  Jonathan  were  hung  up, 
and  the  ridge  of  Little  Hermon,  over  which  Saul  went  to 
Endor,  and  beyond  the  hi]ls  of  Gilead,  and  the  plain  up 
which  Jehu  drove,  and  the  spot,  or  very  near  it,  Avhere 
Naboth's  vineyard  must  have  been.  From  another  windoAv 
w^as  Little  Hermon,  and,  in  a  green  nook,  Shunem.  From 
another  window  Taanach,  Megiddo  and  Carmel ;  while  the 
glorious  plain  of  Esdraelon,  dotted  with  Bedawin  tents  and 
flocks,  stretched  around !  Then  in  an  hour  after  we 
entered  Nain,  and  gazed  on  Tabor  beside  us  ;  and  after 
remaining  at  Nain,  and  reading  the  story  of  the  blessed 
miracle,  we  crossed  the  plain,  and  for  an  hour  wound  our 
way  through  the  little  glens  (so  like  the  Highlands)  of  the 
mountains  of  Galilee,  until  we  came  to  this  sweet  retired 
nest  among  the  lovely  knoives.  What  a  day  in  a  man's 
life !  and  yet  it  is  but  one  of  many. 

"  -Easter  Sunday. — I  have  come  down  from  the  ruins  of 
the  old  Castle  of  Safed.  The  day  is  glorious,  and  more  so 
from  there  having  been  deluges  of  rain  all  night  and  this 
morning,  and  masses  of  cumuli  clouds  break  the  blue  space 


1 66  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

of  the  sky,  and  cast  on  the  landscape  deep  shadows  that 
relieve  the  eye  from  the  usual  glare.  I  was  seated  on  the 
highest  point  of  a  hill  which  sweeps  up  from  the  Lake  of 
Tiberias  nearly  three  thousand  feet,  and  is  encircled  by  the 
tovN'u  of  Safed,  and  crowned  with  the  grand  ruins  of  the 
old  Crusader  castle.  Below  lay  the  Lake  of  Tiberias, 
still  and  calm  ;  the  green  plain  of  Genesareth,  -with 
the  ruins  of  Magdala,  and  prol3ably  Capernaum,  below  us 
round  a  bay.  On  the  opposite  side  was  the  valley  where 
the  miracle  of  the  Gadarene  demoniac  took  place.  The 
end  of  the  lake  where  the  Jordan  enters  the  lake,  and 
where  Bethsaida  was,  was  concealed  by  a  hill ;  but  there 
below  lay  the  immortal  lake  itself — the  most  famous  lake  in 
the  world — about  which  I  need  not  speak  to  you — and 
when  looking  at  it,  could  hardly  speak  to  any  one.  Beyond 
the  lake  stretched  the  table-land  of  the  Hauran  on  to  the 
horizon.  The  green  valley  of  the  Jordan  was  seen  at  the 
south  end.  To  the  right  was  Tabor,  and  the  mountains 
of  Galilee  and  Samaria  farther  away,  with  sunlight  and 
cloud  and  shadows  over  them. 

"  It  was  my  last  look  of  Tiberias,  and,  with  it,  of  the  true 
Holy  Land.  I  can  trace  Christ's  steps  no  more.  I  had 
sailed  on  Tiberias,  Friday  evening  (Good  Friday),  and  at 
our  request  the  fishermen  let  down  their  net  for  a  draught 
and  caught  nothing,  though  they  often  get  great  hauls. 
We  rode  along  its  shores  past  Magdala,  and  now  I  have 
bidden  it  farewell  for  ever  in  this  life.  I  felt  to-day  as 
when  taking  my  last  look  of  Jerusalem,  as  if  it  were  the 
last  look  of  some  beloved  friend,  whom,  however,  I  hope 
to  see  purified  and  renewed  in  the  new  heavens  and  the 
new  earth.  My  heart  is  full  as  I  say  farewell.  I  shall  see 
the  Lebanon,  Sidon,  Damascus  and  other  places,  but  not 
such  holy  spots  as  I  have  been  gazing  on  Avith  prayer  and 
praise  ;  spots  in  which  heaven  and  earth,  men  and  angels, 
have  met,  and  in  which  things  have  taken  place  and  words 
have  been  uttered,  which  have  moulded  the  history  of  the 
world  and  Avill  be  more  famous  in  eternity  than  in  time, 
and  among  saints  in  Heaven  than  among  sinners  on  earth." 


x864 — 65.  167 

To  Mrs.  Macleod  : — 

Froxt  Athens. 

"  I  am  so  thankful  to  have  seen  this  after  Palestine.  It 
does  not  lessen  my  first  love.  It  completes  the  circle  of 
the  past — Paul  and  the  Areopagus  unite  the  two.  There 
are  many  striking  contrasts  between  them. 

"  When  I  look  over  the  landscape  from  the  Acropolis,  or 
journey  over  the  country  around,  there  is  not  a  village  near, 
nor  a  ruin,  nor  spot,  with  the  excej^tion  of  Salamis  and 
Marathon,  that  is  famous  for  any  great  fact  which  the  world 
knows  of  or  feels  interested  in.  In  Palestine  every  hill 
and  village  is  alive  with  history.  It  is  Athens  alone — 
there  it  is  the  whole  country.  Then  again,  while  I 
recognise  all  that  Athens  has  given  to  the  world,  whether 
of  art,  philosophy,  histor}'',  poetry,  or  eloquence,  as  precious 
gifts  from  God,  a  grand  portion  of  the  education  of  our 
race,  which  has  told  as  no  other  has  done  on  the  culture 
of  mankind — yet  how  different  in  kind,  in  universality,  in 
intensity,  has  been  the  influence  of  Palestine  !  An  old 
shepherd  who  lived  four  thousand  years  ago,  like  Abraham, 
is  almost  worshipped  by  the  Mahommedans,  Jews,  and 
Christians,  and  is  known  as  "El  Khulil,"  the  Friend  of 
God.  What  has  he  been — what  have  others  in  Palestine 
been — to  the  spirits  and  hearts  of  the  race  ?  While  the 
kings  and  gods  of  Egypt  have  passed  away,  the  people 
who  live  beneath  the  Acropolis  know  him,  and  don't  know 
the  names  even  of  their  mighty  dead  who  have  nevertheless 
immortalised  their  city.  There  are  thirty  marble  chairs  in 
the  Theatre  of  Dionysus,  which  were  the  official  seats  of 
the  priests  of  Bacchus,  and  of  the  different  village  or 
parish  temples.  They  have  not  a  representative  on  earth  ! 
Athens  has  given  much  to  the  world  !  but  in  Palestine 
the  Father  was  revealed  to  it.  That  is  the  gift  of  gifts 
to  the  whole  family  of  man." 

From  his  Journal  : — 

"May  1,  Sunday  Morning. — I  returned  Friday  night 
from  my  tour.  I  record  the  mercy  of  God  to  me  and 
mine,  but  I  have  no  words  to  express  what  that  has  been. 


168  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

I  liave  had  one  of  tlic  most  glorious  tours  which  man  can 
have  in  this  -world  —  Malta,  Alexandria,  Cairo,  Suez, 
Joppa,  Jerusalem  by  Bethoron,  Hebron,  the  Dead  Sea, 
Marsaba,  north  to  Tiberias  by  Samaria,  Nazareth,  Safed, 
Sidon,  Boyrout,  Damascus,  Cyprus,  Rhodes,  Smyrna, 
Athens,  Marathon,  Constantinople,  and  home  by  the 
Danube,  and  Vienna,  Dresden,  Hanover.  I  have  not 
had  an  hour's  ill  health  or  anxiety  of  mind.  We  have  all 
been  happy  and  enjoyed  everything  intensely.  I  cannot 
count  my  gains.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  searched  for  hid 
treasure,  expecting  hundreds  and  found  thousands.  And 
then  at  home  the  mercy  has  been  so  wonderful.  Every- 
thing in  my  parish  has  gone  on  with  perfect  smoothness. 

"  And  now  the  desire  of  my  heart  is,  that  the  same  God 
of  mercy  and  grace  may  enable  me  to  turn  this  and  all  He 
has  given  me  to  the  best  possible  account  for  the  good  of 
my  ])cople  and  country.  May  I  be  able  to  gather  up  the 
fragments  of  time  that  remain  !  May  I  be  enabled  to  do 
good  to  my  fellow-men  by  word,  by  my  pen,  by  my  life 
and  labour  ;  to  live  simply,  truly,  and  unselfishly  ;  and  so 
throu<?h  faith  in  God  to  be  carried  through  the  battle  of 
life  which  rages  loud  and  long  around  me,  among  the  poor 
and  ignorant  and  among  ecclesiastics  !  God  of  truth,  lead 
me  into  all  truth  !  God  of  power,  strengthen  me !  God 
of  wisdom,  direct  me  !  God  of  love,  fill  my  heart !  And 
grant  that  when  days  of  darkness  fidl — when  affliction 
comes,  sickness,  or  weak  old  age,  I  may  be  strengthened 
in  the  ftiith  of  Thy  Fatherhood  by  recalling  the  marvellous 
mercies  of  these  j^ast  months,  added  to  all  those  received 
from  Thy  hand,  when  verily  I  am  unworthy  of  the  least ! 
Amen  and  amen.  So  ends  a  memorable  period  of  my 
life! 

''June  3,  One  a.m. — I  this  day  enter  my  fifty-second 
year.      I  do  so  blessing  and  praising  God," 

The  General  Assembly  of  this  year  unanimously 
appointed  him  to  the  Convenership  of  the  India  Mis- 
sion ;  and  with  much  gratitude  for  the  confidcnco 
thus  reposed    in  him,  he  determined  to   devote  his 


i864 — 65.  169 

energies  to  its  advancement.  To  awaken  a  lively 
interest  in  Missionary  affairs,  and  to  promote  a  more 
effective  method  of  conducting  them,  was  henceforth 
to  be  one  of  the  great  works  of  his  life.  His  journals 
show  how  many  places  he  visited,  and  indicate  the 
variety  of  meetings  he  addressed  with  this  view,  but 
they  convey  a  very  inadequate  impression  of  the  time 
he  had  to  spend  in  reading,  in  correspondence,  and  in 
anxious  thought. 

From  his  JoimNAL : — 

"June  12,  IS'^4. — There  are  several  events  in  my  life 
which  I  should  like  to  record.  The  first  of  these  is  the  unani- 
mous offer — uusought  for  and  unexpected,  God  knoweth — 
by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Convenership  of  the  India 
Mission.  I  have  accepted  of  this  without  doubt,  though 
not  without  solemn  and  prayerful  consideration — for  I 
have  tried,  at  least  for  the  last  twenty-five  years,  to  accept 
of  whatever  work  is  offered  to  me  in  God's  providence.  I 
have,  rightly  or  wrongly,  always  believed  that  a  man's 
work  is  given  to  him — that  it  need  not  so  much  be  sought 
as  accepted — that  it  is  floated  to  one's  feet  like  the  infant 
Moses  to  Pharaoh's  daughter, 

"  Mission  work  has  been  a  possession  of  my  spirit  ever 
since  I  became  a  minister ;  I  feel  that  God  has  long  been 
educating  me  for  it.  I  go  forth  tolerably  well  informed  as 
to  facts,  and  lovinof  the  work  itself,  with  heart,  soul,  and 
strength,  I  accept  it  from  God,  and  have  perfect  confidence 
in  the  power  and  grace  of  God  to  give  us  the  men  and  the 
money.  Thank  God  for  calling  me  in  my  advanced  years 
to  so  glorious  and  blessed  a  work. 

"  We  want  men — God-lovino-  men.  These  are  to  be 
obtained  chiefly  through  prayer.  '  Pray  the  Lord  of  the 
Harvest  to  send  forth  labourers.'  We  want  money,  but 
the  silver  and  gold  are  the  Lord's,  and  He  can  open  up 
every  purse,  and  my  hope  is  in  Him. 

"  It  is  my  intention  to  address  Presbyteries,  and  to  hold 


170  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

public  meetings  everywhere  for  aiding  the  glori()us  work. 
The  Lord  be  with  me  to  give  me  the  Spirit  of  Christ  and 
of  a  sound  mind  to  consider  my  brethren,  to  sujjport  the 
weak,  to  be  patient  to  all,  to  help  the  weak  to  good,  and 
to  trust  God  fur  the  increase,  while  we  plant  and  water 
according  to  their  need. 

"  An  immense  deal  has  yet  to  be  done.  We  have  to  re- 
consider the  whole  idea  of  missions — the  preaching  mis- 
sion, and  how  to  preach  and  what  to  preach,  so  as  to  get 
at  the  Hindoo  and  Mussulman  mind ;  the  teaching  mis- 
sion, and  how  the  child  is  to  be  treated  in  relation  to  his 
heathen  parent  ;  the  tract  mission,  and  wluit  sort  of 
tracts  India  needs  ;  the  healing  mission,  and  the  place 
which  hospital  and  alms-giving  should  liold.  We  have 
to  consider  the  organization  and  local  government  of 
missions,  and  how  to  build  up  congregations  so  as  to  bring 
the  moral  power,  the  character,  and  the  Christian  order  of 
the  family  and  the  congregation  to  bear  on  the  work.  We 
have  to  consider  the  retiring  allowances  for  missionaries 
and  the  sick,  the  relationship  of  the  missions  of  one 
Church  to  another,  &c.  The  Lord  be  with  us  !  His 
Spirit  can  do  it.  He  loves  it.  It  is  His  work.  We  are 
but  fellow-workers. 

"  I  have  lost  a  dear  friend  in  Principal  Leitch.  Poor 
dear  Boss  !  I  cannot  think  of  the  world  as  henceforth 
without  him — so  simple  and  true,  so  loyal,  so  genuine  !  I 
have,  with  very  few  exceptions,  no  such  friend  on  earth — 
none  Avho  knew  my  failings  as  he  did,  none  to  cover 
them  as  he  did,  none  to  love  me  in  spite  of  them  as  he 
did.  Well,  he  is  another  portion  of  my  treasure  in  heaven  ! 
And  so  is  Tom  Baird,  the  carter,  the  beadle  of  my  working 
man's  church,  as  noble  a  fellow  as  ever  lived — God-fearing, 
true,  unselfish.  I  shall  never  forget  what  he  said  when  I 
asked  him  to  stand  at  the  door  of  the  working  man's  con- 
gregation and  when  I  thought  he  was  unwilling  to  do  so  in 
his  working  clothes.      '  If,'  said  I,  '  you  don't  like  to  do  it, 

Tom,  if  you  are  ashamed '     '  Ashamed  ! '  he  exclaimed 

as  he  turned  round  ui^on  me.  *  I'm  mair  ashamed  o'  yer- 
sel',  sir.  Div'  ye  think  that  I  believe,  as  ye  ken  I  do,  that 
Jesus  Chri.st,  who  died  for  me,  was  strip[)ed  o'  his  raiment 


1864 — 6s.  171 

on  the  cross,  and  that  I Na,  na,  I'm  prood  tae  stan'  at 

the  door.'  Dear  sfood  fellow  !  There  he  stood  for  seven 
Avinters  without  a  sixpence  of  pay ;  all  from  love,  though 
at  my  request  the  working  congregation  gave  him  a  silver 
watch. 

"  When  he  was  dying  from  small-pox,  the  same  un- 
selfish nature  appeared.  When  asked  if  they  would  let 
me  know,  he  replied,  '  There's  nae  man  leevin'  I  like  as  I 
do  him.  I  know  he  wad  come.  But  he  shouldna  come 
on  account  of  his  wife  and  bairns,  and  so  ye  maun  na'  tell 
him  ! '  I  never  saw  him  in  his  illness,  never  hearing  of 
his  danger  till  it  was  too  late. 

*'  This  India  mission  presses  itself  with  greater  solemnity 
on  me  every  day  ;  I  feel  Jesus  has  given  us  to  do  the 
noblest  work  which  can  occupy  the  energies  of  men  here 
below  or  of  angels  above — not  foreign  missions  only,  but 
all  missions,  every  effort,  from  that  in  our  own  hearts,  our 
own  families,  our  congregations,  to  make  men  know  God, 
and  thus  to  respond  to  His  own  love.  All  our  ditfi- 
culties  are  in  ourselves.  We  are  so  poor,  so  mean,  so 
cowardly  ;  there  is  such  a  want  of  thorough  consecration, 
which  is  just  a  loving  spirit  of  true  liberty  and  perfect 
peace.      It  alarms  me  greatly,  yet  not  enough. 

"  I  will  labour  and  pray  for  the  establishment  of  strong 
missions,  and,  above  all, — above  all  for  men  who  peril  their 
souls,  their  all  in  Christ !  Oh,  for  godly  men  to  be  mis- 
sionaries. A  godly  man  has  God's  spirit  with  him  to  guide 
him,  direct  him,  bless  him.  This  is  the  all  in  all.  Such 
a  man  must  be  a  useful  man.  A  man  of  love,  real  and 
genuine,  is  the  godly  man,  Jesus  Christ,  Lord  of  the 
Harvest,  for  this  I  pray  !  give  us  godly  missionaries  !  Lord, 
1  believe  ;  help  my  unbelief.  Oh,  my  Saviour,  bless  this 
mission  work !     My  beloved  Saviour,  my  hope  is  in  Thee  ! 

"I  wish  £10,000  a  year  at  least,  and  ten  men  at  least, 
to  preach  Christ  to  India,  If  I  had  not  faith  in  Christ  I 
sliould  des^^air." 


172  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  his  Mother  : — 

July  10th,  1864. 

"  This  goes  moroly  to  certify  to  you,  on  the  best 
authority,  that  (1)  I  have  addressed,  since  I  saw  you,  both 
Presbyteries  and  public  meetings  at  Dunoon,  Perth,  Dun- 
keld,  Cupar-Angus,  Forfar,  Cupar-Fife  ;  (2)  that  this  week 
I  have  to  do  ditto  at  Dunse,  Greenlaw,  Chirnside,  Lin- 
lithgow ;  (3)  the  week  after  at  Galashiels,  Selkirk,  Kelso, 
Hawick,  Melrose  ;  (4)  that  I  am  not  suffering  from  sore 
throat,  sore  back,  head,  heart,  lungs,  brain,  nerves,  muscles, 
sinews,  legs,  arms,  back,  neck,  heels,  toes — but  am  from 
tip  to  toe  jolly. 

"  My  work,  bless  God,  goes  on  beautifully.  All  so  kind 
and  cordial.  I  feel  more  thankful  than  I  can  tell,  and  I 
am  in  perfect  peace  and  in  great  feather." 

To  Dr.  Charteris  : — 

Sth  Augiid,  1864. 

"  The  missionary  who  we  hoped  would  have  gone 
withdraws,  as  his  parents  say  '  No.'  Parental  affirmatives 
are  generally  gladly  given  to  good  money  prospects  in  the 
East,  or  to  prospects  of  promotion,  with  the  chance  of  a 
bullet  through  the  brain  of  their  beloved. 

"  Faith,  if  not  dead,  sleepeth.  "\Ye  cannot  create 
missionaries.  We  can  pray  and  wait — ay,  for  a  lifetime, 
if  needs  be. 

"  It  would  in  the  end  be  a  rich  gain  to  the  Church  if 
deep  silence  for  years  was  the  only  response  to  her  call  for 
missionaries,  and  that  this  brought  Divinity  professors  and 
ministers  to  their  knees  before  a  throne  of  grace. 

"  How  can  Christ  do  many,  or  any,  mighty  works,  if 
there  be  no  faith  ?  How  can  He  give,  if  we  don't  as  a 
Church  ask  like  men  in  earnest  ?" 


From  his  Jottrnal  : — 

PrrLociTRrE. 

"  Thursday,  the  anniversary  of  my  marriage.  We  went 
up  Glen  Tilt,  and  had  a  pic-nic  with  our  children  only  ; 
and,  amidst  the  glories  of  the  earth,  rejoiced  that  they 


1864 — 65.  173 

were  born  into  such  a  world,  with  such  a  Father  and 
Saviour.  Oh  yes,  very,  very  thankful  were  we  both.  Oh, 
my  Father,  the  only  thing  I  dread  is  sin  in  my  darlings. 
Good  Lord,  loving  Father,  deliver  us  from  that  hell ! 

"  We  had  another  fine  day  at  the  Loch,  and  all  ended  by 
an  evening  in  company  with  dear  John  Shairj),  at  the  river 
side,  hearing  John  McPherson,  the  piper,  play  out  his 
glorious  pibrochs.  What  a  power  they  have  over  me  !  I 
wejDt  like  a  child  hearing  them.  My  father  and  all  the 
romantic  past  mingled  with  their  every  note.* 

"  My  children  are  a  source  of  unspeakable  blessing,  yet 
Christian  anxiety.  I  feel  more  and  more  that  there  is  a 
life  totally  different  in  kind  from  the  life  in  the  natural 
man ;  a  life  in  the  Spirit,  which  must  be  begun  and 
developed  into  life  everlasting  by  God's  Sjnrit,  for  which 
we  must  pray.  How  solemn  is  the  fact  of  the  / — the 
personality — the  out-of-us  individualism  of  each  child  ! 
How  impossible  to  renew  the  soul  of  one  we  would  die 
for.      Oh,  my  Father,  it  is  Thy  work  !      We  cling  to  Thee. 

"  Septeviber  6. — Left  Saturday  morning  to  visit  the 
Prince  of  Wales  at  Abergeldie. 

"  It  is  a  glorious  Highland  residence.  The  golden  pil- 
lared pines,  the  royal  heather,  the  great  sweep  of  the 
valley,  the  high  ranges,  the  quiet  ! 

*  "When  we  speak  of  the  ba?-T>ipe  we  mean  the  great  war-pi23e, 
played  not  by  the  wretched  half-gipsy  performers  who  jiresume  to 
fin'j-er  it,  but  by  that  personification  of  dignity — pardon  the  expression 
— the  genuine  piper,  whose  slow  and  measured  tread  and  erect  bear- 
ing combine  to  express  his  earnest  love  for,  and  his  sense  of,  the 
dignity  of  his  calling.  The  music,  moreover,  we  assume  to  be  the 
pibroch  only.  We  call  the  pibroch  '  music  '  just  as  we  would  that  of 
the  music  of  the  midnight  storm  as  it  roars  -ihrough  the  pine  forest,  or 
the  screams  of  the  blast  among  the  mountain  peaks,  or  the  music 
of  the  crested  sea-wave  as  it  thunders  on  the  rocky  shore.  And 
to  those  who  understand  the  carefully  composed  structure  of  the 
music  of  the  bagpipe,  there  is  a  pathos  and  depth  of  feeling  sug- 
gested by  it  which  a  Highlander  alone  can  fully  sympathize  with ; 
associated  too,  as  it  alwaj's  is,  with  the  most  touching  memories  of  his 
home  and  country.  It  summons  up  both  before  his  inward  eye.  It 
revives  the  faces  and  forms  of  the  departed.  It  opens  up  panoramas 
of  mountain,  loch,  and  glen ;  and  thus,  if  it  excites  the  stranger  to 
laughter,  it  excites  the  Highlander  to  tears,  as  no  other  music  can  do, 
in  spite  of  the  most  refined  culture  of  other  years." — "  Mountain,  Loch, 
and  Olen." 


17+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  I  hfifl  a  sweet  walk  in  the  forest. 

"  Left  on  Monda}'^  at  1 1  for  Inverness,  and  have  had 
meetings  at  Tain,  500  or  GOO  present,  mostly  of  the 
Free  Church. 

"  I  have  been  amazed  with  Ross  and  Sutherland.  I 
never  beheld  such  a  combination  of  highly  cultivated  fields 
with  good  wooding  and  picturesque  scenery.  It  has  the 
luxurious  cultivation  of  Kelso  with  the  scenery  of  the 
Highlands.  Yet  this  country  which  has  but  one  form  of 
Church  government,  one  confession  of  faith,  one  form  of 
Avorship,  is  more  literally  divided,  more  sectarian,  than  any 
country  I  have  ever  been  in.  The  feelings  of  the  Free 
Church  to  the  Establishment  (for  it  is  chiefly  on  their  part, 
beyond  doubt)  are  hardly  equalled  by  those  of  the  Roman 
Catholics  in  Galway  to  a  Protestant  missionary,  or  those  of 
the  Mohammedan  in  Damascus  to  a  Christian.  So  it  has 
been  hitherto,  and  that,  as  usual,  owing  to  the  clergy, 
those  sources  of  so  much  good  and  of  so  much  evil  to  the 
Church  of  God. 

"  But  I  was  most  thankful  to  see  men  that  were  worthies 
of  the  Free  Kirk  come  to  my  meetings.  This  eased  my 
heart.  I  prayed  God  to  be  able  to  speak  truth,  that  would 
reach  deeper  down  than  all  their  controversies,  and  such 
as  would  make  for  peace.  Would  that  my  brethren  would 
concentrate  themselves  in  faith  on  doing  good,  '  seeking 
first  the  kingdom  of  God,'  and  leaving  Christ  to  arrange 
and  add  all  other  things  unto  them. 

"A  Sutherland  missionary  to  India  would  be  a  blessing 
to  all  of  them  and  to  their  people. 

"  October  C. — Have  had  meetings  at  Inverary,  Falkirk, 
and  Hamilton  (Presbytery).  I  have  been  fagged,  bothered, 
addled,  dowie." 

To  Mrs.  Macleod  : — 

Aberdeen,  October  \(Mh. 

"  I  have  a  short  time  before  I  address  the  Synod  at  two, 
to  write  to  you.  I  don't  know  why  I  should  feel  so  very 
much  to-day  ;  but  I  have  been  for  two  hours  preparing 
with  head  and  heart  to  speak  Avorthily  on  this  great  sub- 
ject.    My  heart  trem1)les  for  the  ark  of  God.      I  do  feel 


1864—65.  175 

this  to  be  a  crisis  in  our  mission  history,  and  I  am  so 
anxious.  In  proportion  as  I  believe  in  the  certainty  of 
success  if  we  seek  the  Lord,  and  humbly  endeavour  to  do 
His  work,  in  that  proportion  I  feel  the  terrible  sin  and 
eternal  loss  if  it  is  not  done.  I  heard  Doctor  Duff  last 
night.  I  have  not  seen  him  since  we  met  in  Paris,  long 
ago,  at  the  Alliance,  nor  have  I  heard  him  since  he  made 
his  great  speech  in  the  Assembly  of  '38.  He  is,  of  course, 
older,  and  visibly  feebler  ;  but  that  very  feebleness  was  to 
me  so  touchingiy  eloquent.  How  humbled  I  felt  before  him., 
how  inwardly  I  revered  and  blessed  the  old  soldier  of  the 
cross.  I  have  desires  and  words,  weak  and  feeble.  But 
he  is  the  living  embodiment  of  work  done." 


To  a  Eelative  who  had  announced  his  betrothal : — 

"  Of  course  I  know  all  you  feel  and  all  you  think. 
'  You  feel  that ' — of  course  you  do — '  and  that  if ' — of 
coarse — '  and  that  no  man  ' — of  course — '  and  that  your 
own  heart  can  tell  * — no  doubt  of  it — '  and  that  when  you 
came  home  last  night  you  ' — who  denies  it  ? — '  and  that 
the  solemnity  of — I  agree  with  you. 

"  God  bless  you,  my  dear  boy !  No  one  more  deeply 
sympathizes  with  you." 

The  following  letter  was  written  after  opening  a 
box  of  edible  fungi  which  had  lain  in  the  honse  for 
some  days,  during  his  absence  from  home,  having  been 
sent  him  by  Dr.  Esdaile,  well  known  for  his  advocacy 
of  the  use  of  horseflesh,  and  for  his  experiments  in 
pisciculture,  and  still  better  known  for  his  heroic  and 
successful  efforts  to  found  a  College  for  Ministers' 
Daughters : 

To  the  Eev.  Dr.  Esdaile,  Eescobie : — 

Oct.  2oth,  1861. 
"  M}'-  dear  Easdail — or  Esdale — or  Esdaile,  for  such  a 
queer  fellow  cannot  be  easily  made  out.     I  received  your 


176  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

putldock  stools  after  I  returned  home  from  a  mission  tour. 
As  holy  things,  or  as  noxious  things,  they  were  set  aside  by 
the  family,  with  mingled  feelings  of  awe,  mystery,  and 
terror.  That  death  was  in  the  box  was  obvious  to  the 
senses — but  death  of  wliat  ?  Was  it  a  new  murder  ?  A 
man's  head,  or  a  whole  child,  or  a  leg  of  some  Bricj-gs  ? 
I  myself  opened  the  box  with  one  careful  hand  while  I 
held  my  nose  with  another.  It  was  an  awful  evidence  of 
the  doctrine  of  corruption !  But  not  of  the  will,  and  so  I 
tliank  you  heartily  for  your  goodwill  in  sending  me  the 
deadly  poison  and  congratulate  myself  on  my  escape. 
Why  did  you  expect  the  Barony  ?  Your  sermon  Avas 
highly  acceptable  ;  but  why  kill  the  parson  ?  Esdaile  ! 
you  know  w4iat  you  are,  and  if  you  don't  stop  these 
savage  fcastings  on  mare's  flesh  and  mushrooms,  I'll  have 
you  up  as  a  witch  or  murderer. 

"Thanks  I  say  for  your  foul  intentions,  and  for  my 
lucky  escape. 

"  Go  along  !  You  mushroom  Avasting,  horseflesh  eating, 
oyster  breeding,  mussel  growing,  salmon  fishing,  Ministers* 
Daughters  training,  good  for  everything  mortal." 

To  his  MoTHEE : — 

"  I  have  been  every  night,  except  Saturday,  away  from 
my  own  family  !  It  is  very  hard,  but  '  what  can  a  fellow 
do?' 

"  Dr.  Duff  has  written  me  a  very  kind  letter  to  meet 
him  here  next  week. 

"  The  Free  Kirk  have  subscribed  handsomely  to  my 
mission. 

"  The  first  man  I  called  on  gave  me  £250  !  and  wrote 
such  a  nice  note." 


From  his  Joitbnal  : — 

"  Dec.  18. — I  was  invited  by  Prince  Alfred  to  spend  the 
14th,  the  anniversary  of  his  father's  death,  with  him  at 
Darmstadt.  The  Queen  commanded  me  to  see  her  before  I 
went,  so  on  Monday  I  went  to  Windsor.     I  told  her  that  tho 


I-— e.c. 


^77 


more  I  was  confided  in,  the  more  I  felt  my  responsibility 
to  speak  the  truth.  That  night  I  went,  via  Calais,  tc 
Darmstadt.     The  Prince  joined  the  train  at  Bonn. 

"  To-day  (Sunday)  I  expounded  in  the  forenoon,  and 
now  express  my  grateful  thanks  to  my  Father,  my  guide, 
my  help,  my  all,  for  His  mercy  to  me  during  this  last 
heavy  and  important  week. 

"  Oh,  let  me  never  lose  my  trust  in  Him,  or  be  afraid 
of  accepting  any  duty  imposed  on  me  in  His  Providence, 
but  step  out  bravely  and  humbly  at  His  bidding,  sure  of 
His  blessing. 

"  I  have  during  the  past  j^ear  been  pretty  steadily  in  my 
own  pulpit,  but  with  the  exception  of  visiting  the  sick,  I 
have  been  able  to  do  little  parish  work,  which  deeply  pains 
me.  I  have  written  eleven  Sermons  for  Good  Words  and 
two  Articles  ;  prepared  some  of  the  memoir  of  my  father, 
and  first  part  of  '  Home  Preacher.' 


To  A.  Strahan,  Esq. : — 

Midnight,  i^^f/^''''^^'''^^^'^' 
(  1st  January,  1865. 

"  God  bless  you,  and  may  He  enable  you  and  me,  with 
honest,  simple,  believing,  and  true  hearts,  to  do  His  will, 
and,  come  weal  or  woe,  to  make  Good  Words  a  means  of 
doing  real  good  to  our  fellow-men,  and  so  pleasing  our 
Master  that,  when  time  shall  be  no  more.  He  will  receive 
us  as  faithful  servants.      Amen." 


From  his  Jouenal  : — 

''January  Srd. — Let  me  here  record,  as  throwing 
some  light  on  the  folly  of  presentiments  and  dreams^ 
the  following  facts,  without  the  slightest  shadow  of 
exaggeration. 

^  "  One  evening  when  sitting  alone,  before  starting  by  a 
night  train  for  London,  I  got  into  an  unaccountably  de- 
pressed state  of  mind.  The  thought  came  that  I,  or  my 
family,  might  be  entering  some  great  trial.  It  might  be 
a  railway  accident  ?    Yes  !— so  said  I  to  mvself,— I  shall  for 

VOL.    II.  N 


178  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

the  first  time  in  my  life  take  an  insurance  ticket  for  £1,000. 
This  resolution  brought  my  day  dream  to  a  conclusion, 
and  I  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughing  at  my  absurd  fore- 
boding, -which  I  felt  was  from  over  work.  AVishing 
to  change  a  half-crown  to  pay  the  cab  before  taking 
my  ticket,  I  put  one  down  at  the  ticket  window,  and, 
without  speaking  a  word,  received  an  insurance  ticket 
for  £1,000  and  3c?..,  I  think,  back.  Having  forgotten  my 
dream,  I  was  taken  all  aback,  and  started.  '  I  never  asked 
for  a  ticket,'  I  said,  and  was  returning  it,  when  some 
one  over  my  shoulder  said,  '  I'll  take  it.  Doctor.'  But 
so  impressed  was  I  by  the  odd  coincidence  that  I  took 
it  for  the  first  (and  last)  time  in  my  life.  I  never  slept 
more  soundly,  and  never  had  a  safer  or  pleasanter 
journey. 

(2.)  As  to  dreams.  The  night  before  last  I  awoke  out 
of  a  horrible  niq-htmare.  I  thought  the  house  was  l)urn- 
ing — Johnnie's  room  on  fire,  and  I  in  vain  trying  to  take 
the  dear  boy  out  of  the  flames.  The  fact  of  his  being 
ill  since  Sunda}'  with  scarlatina  made  the  dream  more  pain- 
ful. I  told  it  in  the  morning,  and  also  what  had  occa- 
sioned it.  The  day  before,  wlien  in  the  Barony,  I  was 
thinking  what  I  should  do  if  the  church  was  on  fire,  and 
the  idea  for  a  few  minutes  quite  possessed  me,  as  any  day 
it  might  have  become  a  most  complicated  problem. 

"  After  telling  this  dream,  the  servant  who  slept  next 
room  to  my  boy,  both  doors  being  open,  told  me  he  had 
sprung  up  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  cried  out  to  her 
that  his  room  was  on  fire,  which  was  all  nonsense.  Now,  on 
examination,  I  found  that  my  brother  had  said  that  day, 
in  his  hearing,  to  my  wife,  that  the  only  reason  he  dis- 
liked rooms  in  the  attics,  like  his,  was  in  event  of  fire. 
This  had  produced  his  dream." 


To  J.  M.  Ludlow,  Esq. : — 

Jan.,  1S65. 

"  Here  am  I  with  an  Indian  mission  to  conduct,  address- 
ing congregations,  Presbyteries  and  Synods,  a  committee 
to   manage,  papers   to   write,  correspondence  to  carry  on. 


1 864 — 65. 


179 


missionaries  to  send  out  and  to  buy  their  outfit,  to  finger 

shirts  and  examine  towellings,  to  visit  my  people  two  days 

a  week,   preach  thrice,  teach  a 

class  every  Sunday,  collect  money 

to  build  schools  and  churches  (at 

the  rate  of  £1,000  a  year  for  14 

years),  to  hear  every  man  and 

woman   who  call  on   me  about 

everything  down  to  a  sore  finger, 

besides  having  to  rear  a  family    0 

and  keep  my  liver  right.     Hi«>-h  (^ 

art!" 

To  his  brother  Donald  : — 

"  Florence  !  Catch  me  making  such  a  fool  of  myself  at 
this  season !  Cadiz  would  be  better,  save  for  the  Bay  of 
Biscay. 


Barometer  looking  down. 

"  Better  at  home — snag  and  comfortable.'* 


N   2 


i8o  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

From  liis  JomxAL  : — 

"  Heard  of  Lincoln's  death.  It  will,  under  God,  be  a 
hugre  blessing  to  the  North,  and  be  the  endinof  of  the  ac- 
cursed  South. 

"  Had  Lee  or  Jeff.  Davies  been  assassinated,  what  a  howl  ! 
This  is  a  mighty  era  in  the  Avorld's  history.  I  am  ashamed 
of  my  country.  This  sympathy  with  the  South  is  an  in- 
bcrutable  m^^stery  to  me  ;  I  cannot  make  it  out.  But  I  fear 
we  shall  have  to  suffer  for  our  grievous  pride.  I  still  hope 
that  America  will  be  our  noblest  and  staunehest  ally. 

"  Oh  that  the  Churches  Avould  rise  in  their  strength 
above  mere  politics,  and  say  before  God,  we  shall  be  one  in 
heart  for  the  cfjood  of  the  world  ! 

"  I  have  never  swerved  in  my  sympathy  with  the  North, 
and  I  believe  the  day  is  not  far  off  when  we  shall  hardly 
believe  that  Britain's  s^mipathy  was  with  the  South.  Oh, 
my  country  !  Oh,  Christian  Churches !  Repent  in  dust 
and  ashes  ! 

"  I  cannot  comprehend  man's  blindness  on  this  ques- 
tion !  I  rejoice  in  the  unity  and  prosperity  of  the  grand 
Republic  ;  its  strength  is  a  blessed  counterpoise  to  conti- 
nental despotism  and  more  king-craft.  I  have  the  brightest 
hopes  of  its  future,  but  chie%  through  the  influence  of  its 
Churches.  It  is  to  me  a  mystery  that  Britain  does  not 
rejoice  in  America.      I  do." 

The  innovations  in  public  worship  introduced  by 
Dr.  Robert  Lee,  Minister  of  Greyfriars,  Edinburgh, 
most  of  which  were  simply  restorations  of  the  earlier 
usage  of  the  Church,  wore  now  agitating  the  ecclesi- 
astical mind  of  the  country  and  formed  the  chief 
topic  of  discussion  at  the  Assembly  of  1865.  Public 
opinion  since  then  has  so  much  changed  in  reference 
to  such  matters,  that  it  is  difficult  to  realise  the 
excitement  which  was  produced  by  the  use  of  road 
prayers  and  instrumental  music,  or  to  believe  that  it 
was  for  a  time  doubtful  whether  the  Church  would 


1 864 — 65.  181 

tolerate  any  clianges  in  her  service,  such  as  the 
increasing  culture  of  the  country  every  day  demanded 
more  loudly.  Dr.  Macleod  was  a  member  of  this 
Assembly,  and,  as  might  have  been  expected,  warmly 
espoused  the  side  of  progress. 

*'  I  M'ould  like  ver}'-  much  to  know  who  '  our  fathers ' 
are  to  Avhom  there  have  been  so  many  aUusions  during 
the  discussion.  If  reference  is  made  to  those  respectable 
gentlemen  in  bob-wigs  that  used  to  sit  here  last  century, 
and  if  it  is  assumed  that  everything  they  did  then  is  to 
regulate  us  now,  let  tliat  be  plainly  asserted.  Some  of 
these  men,  doubtless,  did  much  good  in  their  day,  and  some 
of  them  did  very  little.  But  to  say  that  we  are  to  be  ruled 
by  all  that  they  did  would  be  just  as  absurd  as  if  in  the 
year  2000  all  progress  was  to  be  stopped  by  some  earnest 
men  quoting  the  opinions  of  '  the  fathers '  of  this 
generation.  I  should  tremble  at  myself  standing  up  to 
address  this  House,  if  there  was  a  prospect  of  my  acting 
as  an  incubus — an  actual  ghost — for  all  generations,  and 
to  be  called  '  a  father.'  I  take  no  such  responsibility  on 
myself  All  I  wish  is  to  help  the  present  as  our  fathers 
helped  our  past,  and  as  I  hope  our  grandchildren  will 
help  our  future.  Let  us  have  no  more  appeals  to  the 
fathers,  but  look  at  the  question  in  the  light  of  common 
sense. 

"  You  sj^eak  of  the  fathers  of  the  Church,  but  I  go  back 
to  a  true  father  of  the  Church — the  Apostle  Paul.  I  do 
not  know  what  he  would  think  if  he  were  nowadays  to  come 
amongst  us.  Would  he  not,  in  all  probability,  be  put  down 
as  a  latitudinarian  ?  I  fear  very  much  whether  some  of  us 
could  really  understand  a  man  who  became  a  Jew  to  the 
Jews,  and  a  Gentile  to  the  Gentiles,  not  for  the  love 
of  popularity,  which  was  what  he  most  thoroughly 
despised,  but  '  that  he  might  gain  some.'  I  am  afraid 
there  are  some  among  us  who  would  not  comprehend  him 
if  he  said,  '  One  man  esteemeth  one  day  above  another, 
anoth  r  man  esteemeth  every  day  alike  ;  let  every  man  be 
persuaded  in  his  own  mind.'     They  would  be  unable  to 


1 82  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

comprehend  a  man  who  knew  from  God,  as  an  ahsohite 
certainty,  that  there  was  nothing  unclean,  but  could  yet 
have  the  grand  and  noble  charity  to  say,  '  To  him  that 
thinkcth  it  unckan  to  him  it  is  unclean.'  I  question  if 
they  coulu  understand  a  man  who  could  say,  *  The  kingdom 
of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  righteousness  and  peace, 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost ; '  and  '  he  that  servoth  Christ 
in  these  things  is  acceptable  to  God  and  approved  of  men.' 
I  do  not  know  whether  Paul  would  have  made  all  the  office- 
bearers sign  the  Confession  of  Faith — Phoebe,  the  dea- 
coness,  for  example — but  I  am  sure  of  this,  that  he  of  all 
the  fathers  of  the  Church  that  ever  lived,  not  only  in  his 
preaching  but  his  life,  carried  out  the  old  adage,  *  In  things 
essential,  unity  ;  in  things  indifferent,  liberty;  in  all  things, 
charity,'  Now  it  is  this  spirit  which  should  guide  the 
Church  of  Scotland  ;  and  I  think  that  much  of  our  secta- 
rianism might  have  been  prevented  if  we  had  had  a  little 
more  consideration  for  the  feelings  and  opinions  of  others, 
and  if,  instead  of  diq'G^ing  a  ditch  round  us,  and  braq-ging 
how  much  we  differed  from  every  other  Church  on  earth, 
we  had  made  a  few  more  bridges,  and  had  sho^vn  a  little 
more  catholic  feeling  towards  other  Churches  on  earth  ;  if, 
instead  of  looking  to  our  individual  selves,  we  had  looked 
more  to  the  feelings  and  opinions  of  the  country.  For  the 
very  genius  of  our  National  Church  ought,  in  my  opinion, 
to  be  inclusiveness,  as  far  as  possible,  and  not  exclusiveness. 

" I  think,  as  a  Church,  we  ought,  with  the 

other  Presbyterian  Churches  in  this  country,  to  hold  firm 
by  our  historical  past,  for  all  that  is  great  and  good  in  a 
nation  has  its  root  in  the  past.  Let  us  hold  fast  by  that 
which  is  good  in  the  past ;  and  as  our  system  of  Pres- 
bytery is  good,  let  us  hold  fiist  by  its  form  of  government. 
And  in  reference  to  that  I  beg  to  say,  in  passing,  that  there 
never  was  a  greater  delusion  than  to  imagine  that  the  wish 
to  have  an  organ,  or  a  more  cultivated  form  of  worship, 
has  anything  to  do  with  Episcopacy.  So  far  from  this,  I 
believe  these  improvements  will  serve  to  keep  back  Epis- 
copacy ;  and,  under  any  circumstances,  I  make  bold  to  say, 
as  a  minister  of  the  National  Church  of  Scotland,  that  I 
think  it  is  my  duty,  as  well  as  in  accordance  with  my  feel- 


1864—65.  i83 

injs,  to  stretch  out  a  kind  Land  to  every  Scotcliman,  and, 
if  I  could,  a  kind  and  protecting  hand  to  every  Church  in 
this  kingdom. 

"  I  say,  further,  let  us  hold  fast  and  firm  by  our  Con- 
fession of  Faith.  But  I  really  wish  that  gentlemen  would 
feel  the  delicacy  of  these  questions  of  tests  and  signatures, 
and  not  be  perpetually  dragging  up  this  subject.  I  do  not 
Ivnow  at  this  moment  any  one  question  that  requires  finer 
handling,  so  to  sj)eak. 

"  I  desire  to  see  retained  our  whole  Confession  of  Faith 
as  the  expression  of  the  Church's  faith  in  the  past  and  in 
the  present.  But  do  not  let  us  be  the  Church  of  the  past 
merely,  let  us  also  be  the  Church  of  the  present  and  the 
Church  of  the  future  ;  and  this  I  will  boldly  maintain, 
that  we  are  the  freest  Church  at  this  moment  in  Scot- 
land. I  think  honestly  we  are.  I  know  our  respected 
brethren  who  left  us  do  not  repent  doing  so,  and  that 
there  is  not  a  step  they  have  taken  which  they  would 
not  honestly  and  calmly  take  again.  But  I  say  also, 
neither  do  I  repent  for  a  moment  the  position  I  have  occu- 
pied, but  would  calmly  give  over  again  every  vote  I  have 
given,  and  take  again  every  step  I  have  taken.  I  believe 
that  God  is  over-ruling  all  this  for,  perhaps,  a  higher  good 
than  we  are  looking  to.  But,  as  an  Established  Church, 
we  are  limited  by  a  Constitution — a  noble  Constitution — 
which  secures  us  freedom,  because  giving  us  security  at 
once  against  the  tyranny  of  the  State  and  the  tyranny  of 
the  clergy ;  and  within  the  limits  of  the  Constitution  we 
have  freedom  at  this  moment  to  examine  all  questions 
brought  before  us,  and  to  express  our  judgment  upon 
them,  moulding  the  Church  to  meet  the  wants  of  the 
country  as  it  now  is.  It  is  on  the  broad  ground  of  our 
calling  as  a  National  Church,  and  the  liberty  we  have  as  a 
National  Church,  that  I  Avould  desire  to  entertain  with  kind- 
ness and  thoughtfulness  all  these  questions  when  we  are 
desired  by  any  portion  of  the  people  to  do  so." 


1 84  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

From  his  JouRNAii : — 

"  The  Assembly  of  'G5  is  over.  One  of  the  most 
reactionary  since  '43. 

"  The  one  great  evil  I  see  in  both  Assemblies,  and  more 
especially  in  that  of  the  Free  Church,  is  not  so  much  any 
decision  they  msiy  have  come  to  on  such  a  ({ucstion  iis 
organs,  which  is  an  odd  one  in  the  nineteenth  century, 
as  the  spirit  of  both. 

"  There  is  too  little  freedom  to  speak  in  sober  truth 
against  anything  which  the  majority  approves  of.  There 
are  suspicious  whisperings,  up  to  the  howls  of  an  '  orthodox' 
(help  the  mark  !)  brass  band,  against  any  man  who  pre- 
sumes to  question,  doubt,  or  differ  regarding  non-essentials. 
Young  men  are  terrified  lest  they  should  be  considered 
'  dangerous,'  '  doubtful,'  '  broad,'  '  latitudinarian,'  '  liberal,' 
'  not  safe.'  And  so  men  who  think  little  on  public  ques- 
tions, by  simply  hissing  and  crying  '  Vote,  vote,'  easily  and 
without  sacrifice  get  a  reputation,  where  a  true  man  with 
some  fair  and  honest  doubt  on  certain  matters  is  despised. 
The  great  snare  to  weak  consciences  in  the  j)resent  da}-  is 
not  the  world  so  much  as  the  Church,  so  called.  A  refor- 
mation of  any  kind  appears  to  me  more  and  more  sujjer- 
Datural. 

"  But  Mrs.  Partington  cannot  sweep  the  ocean  back." 

To  J.  A.  Campbell,  Esq. : — 

"  I  have  been  at  Loudoun,  my  first  parish.  How  I 
mourned  the  contrast  between  my  work  as  a  parish  minister 
now  and  then  !  God  has  given  me  other  things  to  do,  and 
so  I  must  accept  of  them.  But  any  good  results  from  whole- 
sale public  work  can  only  be  anticipated  by  faith,  wliiie 
the  personal  work  of  the  minister,  the  house  to  house,  face 
to  face,  heart  to  heart  work,  is  a  j)resent,  immediate,  and 
sure  reward.  Few  things  amaze  me  more  than  the  tole- 
rance of  my  present  flock.  I  comfort  myself  bj'  believing 
tliat  God,  who  knows  all  the  outs  and  ins  between  us,  has 
in  mercy  spared  me  the  pain  of  seeing  them  distrusting 
me  and  leaving  me.  Had  tliey  done  so,  I  would  at  once 
have  given  up  everything  else,  shut  off  all  public  work, 


i864 — 65.  185 

and  fallen  back  on  tlie  pastoral.      It  needs  all  my  faith  not 
to  become  peevisb  and  miserable  with  myself. 

"  I  had  a  long  call  from  David  Livingstone  last  Aveek. 
A  Yankee  j)firson  was  in  the  drawing-room,  and  hearing 
how  I  was  engaged,  insisted  on  being  introduced.  He 
came  down,  shook  hands  with  Livingstone,  saying,  '  Sir — 
I  have  heard  of  you  !'  " 

His  Journal  contains  a  deeply  interesting  account 
of  the  interviews  he  had  with  Dr.  Pritchard,  while 
this  notorious  criminal  was  lying  under  sentence  of 
death  for  poisoning  his  wife  and  mother-in-law ;  but 
the  same  motives  of  regard  for  the  feelings  of  re- 
latives which  enjoined  silence  at  the  time,  still  exist 
to  enforce  reserve  on  this  painful  subject. 

To  Mrs.  Macleod  : — 

"  Friday. — Please  do  not  excite  yourself  when  you  see 
by  the  papers  that  I  have  been  with  Pritchard  to  the 
last.  I  thought  it  rather  cowardly  to  let  Oldham  do  this 
work  alone  when  we  had  shared  the  previous  portion  of  it. 
So  I  offered  to  go,  and  I  am  glad  I  did.  I  saw  it  all  from 
first  to  last ;  was  with  him  in  his  cell,  and  walked  at  his 
back  till  he  reached  the  scaffold.  As  to  his  behaviour, 
strange  to  say,  no  patriot  dying  for  his  country,  no  martyr 
dying  for  his  faith,  could  have  behaved  with  greater 
calmness,  dignity,  and  solemnity  !  He  was  kind  and 
courteous  (as  he  always  was)  to  all.  Prayed  with  us  with 
apparent  deep  earnestness.  Told  Oldham  to  tell  his 
sister  that  he  repented  of  a  life  of  transgression,  was  glad 
the  second  confession  was  suppressed,  &c.  He  said  before 
the  magistrates,  with  a  low  bow  and  most  solemn  voice,  '  I 
acknowledge  the  justice  of  my  sentence.'  He  had  told 
those  about  him  on  leaving  his  cell,  '  I  want  no  one  to 
support  me,'  and  so  he  marched  to  the  scaffold  with  a 
deadly  pale  face  but  erect  head,  as  if  he  marched  to  the 
sound  of  music,     He  stood  upright  and  steady  as  a  bronze 


1 86  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

statue,  with  tlie  cap  over  liis  f^ice  and  the  rope  round  his 
neck.      A\'hcn  the  drop  fell,  all  was  quiet, 

"  Marvellous  and  complex  character  ! 

"  Think  of  a  man  so  firm  as  to  say,  smiling,  to  Oldham, 
'  I  am  glad  you  have  come  with  your  gown  and  bands  1' 

"  I  am  for  ever  set  against  all  public  executions.  They 
brutalise  the  people,  and  have  no  more  meaning  to  them 
than  bull-baiting  or  a  gladiatorial  combat. 

"  And  then  the  fuss,  the  babble  and  foam  of  gossip, 
the  reporting  fur  the  press,  &c.,  over  that  black  sea  of 
crime  and  death  ! 

"  Strange  to  say,  I  felt  no  excitement  whatever,  but 
calm  and  solemn.  I  gazed  at  him  while  praying  for  his 
poor  soul  till  the  last.  But  J.  won't  indulge  in  sensation 
sketches.  May  God  forgive  all  my  poor  sinful  services, 
and  accept  of  me  and  mine  as  lost  sinners  redeemed 
throuijh  Jesus  Christ !  " 


From  his  Joitrnal  : — 

"  My  church  was  shut  for  five  weeks  for  repair,  and  I 
went  with  my  fomily  to  Norwood. 

"  I  was  myself  depressed  as  the  re-action  fi'om  previous 
work  and  horrors  (attending  Pritchard  in  his  cell) !  I  went 
for  a  week  to  Holland  with  my  friend  Strahan,  preached 
at  Rotterdam,  toured  it  to  the  Hague,  Scheveling,  on  to 
Amsterdam,  Rotterdam,  home  via  Calais. 

"  The  worst  '  fairs '  I  have  seen  are  the  Glasgow  Fair 
and  the  Kermiss  at  Rotterdam — as  bad  for  vulgar  rioting 
and  drunkenness  as  the  Foresters'  Fete  at  the  Crystal 
Palace. 

"  I  preached  at 's  Baptist  chapel.  How  tremen- 
dously Maurice  and  his  school  have  told  on  the  Baptists ! 
The  ice  is  thawing,  and  the  water  is  freezing.  How  truth 
tells  at  last !  If  it  does  not  revolutionize  it  modifies.  It 
is  wonderful  to  think  how  much  'Orthodoxy'  owes  to 
'the  world'  and  to  'Heterodoxy.'  What  a  praetieal 
difference  does  it  make  having  Christ,  not  any  logical 
theological  system,  as  the  object  of  our  faith  and  love  !  I 
remember  Norwood  with  cfratitude  1 " 


lj?b4  —  05.  187 

To  the  Eev.  W.  F.  Stevensoist  : — 

FiTJNAiiY,  Aitgnst  ISth. 

"  I  am  alive — alive  to  the  glory  of  the  hills  and  to  the 
earth's  gravitation  as  I  try  to  ascend  their  summits — alive 
to  the  critical  state  of  the  political  and  ecclesiastical  world ; 
to  the  dangers  and  glories  of  the  Irish  revival ;  and  to 
many  other  things  I  should  like  to  have  a  chat  about. 

"  I  rejoice  to  hear  such  glad  tidings  about  Ireland ! 
God  grant  wise  men  to  guide  events  !  I  don't  go  '  to  see 
the  Revival.'  I  fear  it  is  the  making  it  a  S23ectacle  Avhich 
will  prove  its  greatest  danger.  By-and-by  I  may  run  over 
and  inquire  about  results.  In  the  meantime  I  am  taking 
a  run  through  dear  old  places,  and  among  dear  old  friends. 
What  a  language  those  hills  and  seas  speak  to  me,  who 
have  been  coming  to  them  every  year  almost  since  child- 
hood !  Yet  how  many  hands  there  were  that  welcomed 
me  which  '  touch '  no  more.  How  many  voices  which 
were  earth's  music  once,  that  sound  no  more  !  Here  life 
would  be  death  to  me,  unless  I  believed  death  was  life. 

"  I  preach  to-morrow,  having  Jowett  as  one  of  my 
hearers  " 


CnAPTEE  XYIII. 

SABBATH    CONTROVERSY. 

A  SERIES  of  public  demonstrations  had  taken 
place  against  the  running  of  Sunday  trains  and 
other  forms  of  Sabbath  desecration,  and  the  Presbytery 
of  Glasgow,  to  give  effect  to  these  expressions  of 
popular  feeling,  prej^ared  a  Pastoral  letter,  to  be 
read  in  all  the  churches  within  its  jurisdiction. 
As  this  Letter  enforced  the  observance  of  the  Lord's- 
day  by  arguments  directly  opposed  to  the  teaching 
Dr.  Macleod  had  given  his  congregation  for  many 
years,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  read  it  from 
the  pulpit  without  expressing  his  dissent.  He  there- 
fore felt  himself  bound  to  state  to  his  brethren  in  the 
Presbytery  the  grounds  on  which  he  differed  from 
their  judgment. 

He  believed  that  the  authority  of  the  Jewish 
Sabbath  was  an  insufficient,  unscriptural,  and  there- 
fore perilous  basis  on  which  to  rest  the  observance 
of  the  Lord's-day,  and  that  to  impose  regulations  as 
to  the  one  institution,  which  applied  only  to  the 
other,  must,  with  the  changing  conditions  of  society 
in  Scotland,  be  productive  of  greater  evils  in  her 
future  than  in  her  past  history.  In  proportion  to 
the     strict    enforcement    of    Sabbatarianism,     there 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  189 

would,  ill  his  opinion,  be  multiplied  those  practical 
inconsistencies,  dishonesties,  and  Pharisaic  sophistries 
which  prove,  in  all  ages,  supremely  detrimental  to 
morality  and  religion.  It  was,  therefore,  with  the 
desire  of  vindicating  the  divine  sanctions  of  the 
Lord's-day,  as  distinct  from  the  Sabbath,  that  he 
addressed  the  Presbytery,  and,  in  doing  so,  he  antici- 
pated, with  a  deep  sense  of  responsibility,  the  peril 
he  must  incur  and  the  pain  his  views  were  certain 
to  inflict  on  many  of  his  countrymen. 

This  speech,  like  all  his  other  speeches,  was  not 
written  out,  but  given  from  short,  and  to  any  other 
eyes  than  his  own,  unintelligible  notes.  In  substance, 
however,  it  had  been  carefully  and  thoughtfully  pre- 
pared :  tlie  arguments  and  illustrations  were  clearly 
arranged,  but  the  mutilated  form  in  which,  unfor- 
tunately, it  first  appeared  in  the  newspapers  created 
an  impression  of  its  purport  which  was  calculated 
to  disturb  the  public  mind.  It  could  not  have  been 
expected  that  an  address  which,  though  rapidly 
spoken,  occupied  between  three  and  four  hours  in 
delivery,  would  be  fully  or  accurately  reported;  but 
it  must  always  be  a  matter  of  regret  that  only  the 
destructive  part  of  the  argument,  which  came  first, 
was  communicated  through  the  press,  while  the  latter 
part,  enforcing  the  divine  obligation  of  the  Lord's- 
day,  was  omitted.  Had  the  public  been  better 
informed  from  the  first  as  to  the  true  character  of 
his  sentiments,  there  would  have  been  less  of  that 
painful  misunderstanding  and  excitement  which,  once 
raised,  is  so  difficult  to  allay.* 

*  That  this  was  the  case  was  evident  from  the  effect  produced 
when  he  afterwards  published  the  substance  of  the  speech. 


190  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

As  it  Avas,  the  outburst  of  popular  feeling  was 
amazing.  Ilis  views  were  not  really  startling,  for 
they  were  common  to  perhaps  a  majority  of  the  best 
theologians  of  the  Eeformed  Churches.*  Yet,  if  the 
speaker  had  renounced  Christianity  itself,  he  could 
scarcely  have  produced  a  greater  sensation.  He 
became  not  only  an  object  of  suspicion  and  dislike  to 
the  unthinking  and  fanatical,  but  he  was  mourned 
over  by  many  really  good  men  as  one  who  had 
become  an  enemy  to  the  truth.  Ilis  table  was  loaded 
with  letters  remonstrating  with  him,  abusing  him, 
denouncing,  cursing  him.  Ministers  of  the  Gospel 
passed  him  without  recognition ;  one  of  these,  more 
zealous  than  the  rest,  hissed  him  in  the  street.  During 
the  first  phase  of  this  agitation  he  felt  acutely  the 
loneliness  of  his  position : — 

"I  felt  at  first  so  utterly  cut  off  from  every  Clirlstian 
brother  that,  had  a  chimney-sweep  given  me  his  sooty 
hand,  and  smiled  on  me  witli  his  black  face,  I  would  have 
welcomed  his  salute  and  blessed  him.  Men  aj)ologised 
for  having  been  seen  in  my  company.  An  eminent 
minister  of  the  Free  Church  refused  to  preach  in  a  United 
Presbyterian  pulpit  in  which  I  was  to  preach  the  same  day. 
Orators  harangued  against  me  in  City  Hall  and  Merchants' 
Hall.  The  empty  drums  rattled  and  the  brazen  trumpets 
blew  '  certain  sounds '  in  every  village.  '  Leave  the 
Church  ! '  '  Libel  him  ! '  were  the  brotherly  advices  given. 
Money  was  subscribed  to  build  a  Free  Barony  Church ;  and 
a  Free  Church  mission  house  was  opened  beside  mine 
('  though  having  no  reference  to  me '  as  it  was  said  !). 
Caricatures  were  displayed  in  every  shop  window." 

The  condition  of  religion  in  the  country  which  this 
tide  of  bitterness  revealed   burdened  him  with  sor- 

*  For  a  Catena  of  authorities  on  this  subject,  see  "Tho  Literature 
of  tho  Sabbath  Question,"  by  Kobert  Cox,  F.S.A. 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  191 

row.  In  one  sense  he  never  enjoyed  greater  peace  oi 
spirit,  nor  was  he  once  tempted  to  waver  in  his  resolu- 
tion ;  but  he  felt  so  keenly  the  prevalence  of  intole- 
rance and  injustice  under  the  cloak  of  zeal,  that  all 
who  saw  him  during  these  three  weeks  were  struck 
by  his  chastened  and  sad  aspect.  There  were  some 
consolations,  however,  mingled  with  the  grief.  The 
Presbytery  acted  with  marked  courtesy,  and  con- 
ducted the  discussions  in  a  spirit  of  the  most  friendly 
consideration.  '  They  were  very  kind,  and  did  not 
utter  a  harsh  word.  I  did  not  retract  a  syllable ; 
nor  was  I  asked  to  do  so.'  The  Kirk-session  of  the 
Barony  cheered  him  by  presenting  an  address  expres- 
sive of  their  unshaken  confidence,  and  his  congre- 
gation to  a  man  remained  loyal.  The  hope  that  good 
would  result  from  the  controversy  gradually  pre- 
vailed over  other  feelings. 

"'The  smaller  question,'  he  "writes,  'is  fast  merging 
into  the  higher  one,  of  whether  we  are  to  gain  a  larger 
measure  of  ministerial  liberty  in  interpreting  those  points 
in  our  Confession  which  do  not  touch  the  essentials  of  the 
Christian  faith.  If  the  Assembly  passes  Avithout  my  being 
libelled,  I  shall  have  gained  for  the  Established  Church, 
and  at  the  risk  of  my  ecclesiastical  life,  freedom  in  alliance 
with  laAV,  and  for  this  I  shall  thank  God.  But  should  they 
drive  me  out,  that  day  will  see  national  evangelical  liberty 
driven  out  for  many  a  day  from  the  dear  old  Church." 

An  act  of  tolerance  on  the  part  of  the  Church  in 
his  case  would  afford  a  practical  solution  to  some  of 
the  difiiculties  connected  with  subscription ;  it  would 
indicate  the  light  in  which  she  wished  her  standards 
to  be  regarded.  '  The  Confession,  when  read  like 
the  Bible  by   the  Hght  of  the  Spirit,  will  then  not 


1 92  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

be  an  obscuration  but  a  transparency  through  "uliich 
eternal  truth  is  seen.'  Some  measure  of  liberty  in 
this  direction,  among  other  benefits,  was,  he  believed, 
gained  for  the  Church  by  the  stand  he  now  took. 

While  recording  the  sadder  aspects  of  this  trying 
period,  it  is  well  to  remember  that  the  suddenness 
of  the  excitement  raised  against  him  was  not  more 
remarkable  than  the  rapidity  with  which  it  dis- 
appeared. If  it  is  painful  to  recall  misunderstandings 
and  alienations,  it  is  refreshing  to  bear  in  mind  how 
soon  all  seemed  forgotten  in  the  confidence  with 
which  his  own  Church  honoured  him,  and  which  was 
also  accorded  by  the  other  Churches  of  the  land. 

To  his  sister  Jaxe  : — 

November  19th,  1865. 

"  God,  I  solemnly  belieye,  has  given  me  a  great  work  to 
do,  and  I  have  accepted  it,  keenly  alive — if  possible,  toe 
keenly  alive — to  my  responsibility — to  the  privilege  I  enjoy 
in  the  discharq-e  of  a  great  dutv,  and  to  the  sorrows  and 
sufferings  which  it  involves,  perhaps  for  life.  I  see  the 
truth  like  light,  but  that  same  light  reveals  the  rough  path 
that  is  before  me.  I  don't  ask  you  to  pass  any  opinion 
on  what  I  have  said  till  you  see  my  speech  in  full  when 
published.  I  don't  expect  you  even  then  to  agree  with  it 
at  once. 

"  Oh  dear,  pray  that  I  may  be  kept  in  peace  and  with  a 
single  eye  and  brave  heart !  " 

Letter  to  Eev.  Geoege  Oabdinee,  Aunan  : — 

Glasgow,  November  l9th,  1865. 

"  I  return  you  my  hearty  thanks  for  your  note  just 
received,  and  I  attach  the  more  value  to  your  Cliristian 
sympathy  from  the  fixct  that  it  is  the  first  of  the  kind 
which  I  have  received. 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  193 

"  I  have  not  entered  on  this  war — only  beginning — 
without  much  thought,  earnest  prayer,  and  a  very  solemn 
sense  of  my  responsibility,  whether  I  speak  or  keep  silence. 
The  more  I  '  mused '  on  the  state  of  religion  and  parties  in 
Scotland,  the  more  has  the  '  fire  burned  '  in  my  very  bones, 
until  I  could  not,  dared  not  but  utter  what,  so  far  as  I  can 
judge,  God  has  given  me  to  utter.  But  I  feel  in  my  inmost 
heart  the  burden  Avhich  I  must  carry  for  many  a  day,  pro- 
bably for  life.  I  could  escape  this  kind  of  burden  by 
silence  or  by  flight,  and  the  flesh  has  often  cried  out  in 
this  and  in  other  conflicts  which  in  Providence  I  have  been 
called  to  fight,  '  Oh,  that  I  had  the  wings  of  a  dove,'  to 
fly  to  some  hut  in  the  wilderness,  in  some  lonely  glen,  that 
I  might  be  at  rest.  But  then  would  come  other  burdens 
which  I  could  not  carry,  which  would  crush  me — the 
burden  of  a  bad  conscience,  of  a  selfish,  cowardly  spirit,  of 
a  false  heart  to  man,  and  therefore  to  God.  With  truth  I 
can  dare  to  meet  bad  men  and  devils,  and,  what  is  worse, 
good  dear  brethren  sincerely  believing  I  am  wrong,  and 
grieving  for  me — which  is  to  me  a  seething  in  my  mother's 
milk  ;  but  with  conscious  untruth  in  any  shape  or  form,  I 
could  not  meet  myself  Avithout  fear  and  shame,  far  less  my 
God.  Yet  with  all  this,  do  not  think  me  suffering  aught 
but  noble  joains,  such  as  I  welcome,  like  the  cross,  as  God's 
great  gift.  I  enjoy  perfect  peace.  I  have  blessed  freedom 
and  peace  in  opening  my  whole  heart  and  ways  to  Christ, 
for  He  understands  our  thoughts,  will  deliver  us  from  evil,' 
and  lead  us  and  all  who  seek  Him  into  truth  in  the  end. 

"  St.  Paul  in  his  Epistles  and  spirit  is  more  than  ever 
clear  and  dear  to  me.  As  soldiers  cried  once,  '  Oh,  for  one 
day  of  Dundee  ! '  so  do  I  feel  disposed  to  cry,  '  Oh,  for 
one  day  of  Paul ! "  How  he  would  puzzle  and  astonish 
and  possibly  pain  our  Churches,  ay,  us  all,  for  he  is  far  in 
advance  of  us  all  yet !  But  as  Max  Piccolomini,  when 
wishing  for  an  angel  to  show  him  the  true  and  good, 
said,  why  should  he  wish  this  when  he  had  his  noble 
Thekla  with  him  to  speak  what  he  felt  ;  so  much  more 
surely  you  and  I  and  all  who  seek  the  truth  may  have 
peace,  Avith  the  loving,  patient,  and  wise  Spirit  and  Guide, 
who  Avill  search  us  and  lead  us  mto  all  truth ' 
VOL.    II.  O 


19+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  Some  think  I  am  leading  a  forlorn  hope.  Be  it  so. 
Then  men  will  enter  the  citadel  over  my  dead  bod)'-,  and 
perhaps  bury  me  with  funeral  honours  when  I  am  enjoying 
rest  elsewhere. 

"  As  to  consequences,  I  have  nothing  to  do  witli  them. 
I  have  faith  in  Christ  as  the  Head  of  the  Church  and  of  the 
world.  It  is  enough  that  I  have  to  do  with  right  and 
wrong.  To  know  that — to  obscn-e  that — to  measure  the 
real  angle,  and  let  the  two  sides  be  prolonged,  if  so  be,  ad 
infinUmn,  that  alone  absorbs  all  my  thoughts,  demands  all 
my  strength,  calls  forth  all  my  prayers,  demands  all  my 
faith.  If  I  am  wrong,  may  God  in  his  infinite  mercy 
destroy  all  my  works,  saving  my  soul  that  trusts  Him,  even 
as  it  were  by  fire  ! 

"  The  battle  is  but  beginning.  It  will  pass  over  to  the 
more  difl[icult  and  more  trying  one  of  the  relation  of  Con- 
fessions to  the  Church,  its  members  and  ministers.  Who 
will  abide  this  sifting  ?  I  think  I  have  light  on  this  too, 
and  may  be  helpful  to  many  a  perplexed  mind  when  the 
battle  comes.  If  I  am  to  be  made  the  occasion  of  its  being 
fousrht,  amen !  It  is  God's  will.  But  sufl&cient  for  the 
day  is  both  its  evil  and  God's  grace. 

"  I  am  going  to  print  my  speech  in  full.  I  would  have 
spoken  four  hours  had  time  been  given.  Much  was  unsaid 
and  much  said  of  vast  importance  which  was  not  reported. 

"  Thank  God,  the  debate  was  conducted  in  the  most 
fair  and  kind  spirit.  J\Iy  whole  feeling  toAvards  all  who 
differ  is  an  earnest  desire  that  they  may  see  the  truth — • 
Churches  above  all  ;  for  what  can  I  do  for  those  who 
neither  love  Christ  nor  would  have  a  holy,  blessed  Lord's 
Day. 

"  Pray  for  me  ; — yes,  do  in  faith — that  I  may  be  kept 
calm,  peaceful,  simple,  sincere  ;  and  that  in  mercy  to  myself 
and  others  I  may  be  kept,  if  need  be  by  sickness  even, 
from  injuring  Christ's  cause,  and  be  led  into  all  truth,  that 
men  may  glorify  Christ  in  me,  but  not  glorify  me,  wliich 
would  be  a  poor  idolatry. 

"  I  remain,  your  brother  in  the  best  of  bonds." 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  195 

A   BATTLE-CRY  TO  MY  FRIEND   AND    FELLOW-SOLDIER, 
PRINCIPAL   TULLOCH.* 

Brother  !  up  to  the  breach 
For  Christ's  freedom  and  truth, 
Let  us  act  as  we  teach, 
With  the  wisdom  of  age  and  the  vigour  of  youth. 
Heed  not  their  cannon-balls, 
Ask  not  who  stands  or  falls. 

Grasp  the  sword 

Of  the  Lord, 

And  Forward ! 

Brother  !  strong  in  the  faith 
That  '  the  right  will  come  right,' 
Never  tremble  at  death. 
Never  think  of  thyself  'mid  the  roar  of  the  fight. 
Hark  to  the  battle-cry. 
Sounding  from  yonder  sky  I 

Grasp  the  sword 

Of  the  Lord, 

And  Forward  ! 

Brother  !  sing  a  loud  Psalm, 
Our  hope's  not  forlorn  ! 
After  storm  comes  the  calm. 
After  darkness  and  twilight  breaks  forth  the  new  morn. 
Let  the  mad  foe  get  madder. 
Never  quail !  up  the  ladder  1 

Grasp  the  sword 

Of  the  Lord, 

And  Forward ! 

Brother !  up  to  the  breach, 
For  Christ's  freedom  and  truth, 
If  we  live  we  shall  teach, 
With  the  strong  faith  of  age  and  the  bright  hope  of  youth. 

*  Principal  Tulloch  had  just  delivered  a  stirring  address  on  the 
quostion  of  Creeds    ' 

O    2 


196  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

If  we  perish,  then  o'er  ns 
Will  ring  the  loud  chorus, 

Grasp  the  sword 

Of  the  Lord, 

And  Follow  ! 

To  the  late  Dr.  Egbert  Lee  : — 

'•'  This  is  a  terrible  hurricane,  but  I  have  a  stout  heart, 
a  good  ship,  light  to  steer  by,  and,  thank  God !  a  con- 
science kept  in  perfect  peace. 

"  If  ever  there  was  a  time  in  our  history  when  we 
should  be  wise,  prudent,  brotherly,  and  brave — it  is  now." 

From  his  Jourxal  : — 

"Last  Sunday  of  '65. — I  will  not  anticipate  the  future, 
it  is  amply  sutficient  to  know  our  dear  God  and  Father 
is  with  us  all,  and  our  own  brother  Jesus  Christ.  With 
heart,  soul,  and  strength,  I  give  glory  for  all  the  past,  and 
commit  all  to  th§  blessed  Trinity  for  the  future  without 
any  fear,  not  a  shadow,  but  in  perfect  peace,  and  with  but 
one  prayer  from  the  depth  of  my  heart  that  we  all  may 
know  God's  will — that  we  all  may  be  enabled  to  cling  to  a 
living  personal  Saviour ;  that  is  to  live  truly  to  God  and 
man,  and  so  to  live  peacefully,  joyously,  and,  of  course, 
obediently,  as  love  is  a  law  to  itself. 

"  I  cannot  in  this  rough  and  rapid  way  attempt  to 
describe  the  origin  and  history  of  the  '  Sabbath  question,' 
which  is  becoming  in  God's  providence  a  national  one.  It 
hooks  on  to  so  many  topics,  it  is  so  connected  with  the 
past  history  and  present  state  of  theological  opinion  in 
Scotland,  that  it  would  demand  a  volume. 

"  This  I  wish  to  record,  that  never  in  my  whole  life  have 
I  experienced  so  much  real,  deep  sorrow,  never  so  tasted 
the  bitter  cup  of  the  enmity,  suspicion,  injustice,  and  hate 
of  the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Oh !  it  was  awful ;  it  gave  me  such  an  insight  into  the 
sufferings  of  Jesus  from  man's  hate  and  suspicion  (even 
though  conscientiously  entertained),  such  as  I  never  before 
conceived  of,  and  made  me  understand  St.  Paul  and  the 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY. 


197 


Judaizers.  But  yet  never  in  my  life  did  I  experience 
such  deep  peace,  such  real,  overwhelming  joy.  I  record 
this  for  it  is  true.  I  was  kept  not  only  from  hard,  bitter 
words,  as  my  speech  and  pamphlet  testify,  but  from  bitter 
feelino's  or  wishes,  and  with  most  lovinsf  desires  for  their 
good.  I  am  naturally  hot,  ardent,  vehement,  satirical ; 
but  all  this  passed  away,  may  it  keep  away  !  This  was 
God's  doing. 

"  In  the  meantime  I  close  this  volume  of  my  secret  life 
with  praise  to  God,  and  unutterable  thanksgiving.  If 
another  like  it  is  ended  near  the  end  of  my  life,  I  know 
I  shall  express  the  same  sentiments  with  a  deeper  sense 
of  their  truth. 

"  I  have  around  me  to-night  all  my  family,  and  this 
after  fifty  years ! 

"  T.  a  A. — T.  0.  A. — Amen  and  Amen^" 


To  his  sister  Jane  :— 

February  9th,  1866. 

"Injustice,  intolerance,  misrepresentation,  sneakiness, 
make  me  half-mad ;  but  the  more  need  of  silence, 
patience,  prayer,  and  the  reaching  upwards  into  that  deep 
personal  fellowship  with  the  Son,  out  of  which  alone  can 
come  to  me  a  share  of  His  brotherly  love  to  all.  Oh, 
it  is  a  heaven  of  peace  and  splendour,  a  pure  refined 
atmosphere,  which  seems  too  far  off  for  me  to  reach  and 
breathe !  Yet  there  is  something  ennobling  in  the 
attempt,  and  in  realising  a  living  Christ  with  all  power  by 
His  Spirit  to  produce  it.  I  have  fitful  gleams  of  it,  which 
assure  me  it  exists,  and  for  me  too  as  well  as  for  others. 
But  there  is  a  fire  in  my  bones  which  won't,  I  fear,  go  out 
except  under  the  pressure  of  Mother  Earth.  Then  thank 
God,  it  will,  and  I  shall  know  even  as  I  am  known." 

From,  his  Journal  : — 

"I  was  asked  by  the  Queen  to  visit  her  at  Osborne 
during  the  holidays.  I  went  there  on  Monday,  2nd 
January. 


198  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  The  Queen,  with  most  condescending  kindness,  com- 
manded me  to  plant  a  tree  in  memory  of  my  visit. 

"  I  left  after  dinner,  late  on  Thursday  night,  by  the 
yacht  for  Portsmouth.  The  old  coxswain  was  a  member 
of  the  Gaelic  Church  in  Campbeltown  in  my  father's 
time. 

"  The  more  I  calmly  revise  these  past  weeks  the  more 
I  beheve  that  I  have  done  what  was  right.  I  do  not  say 
that  my  brethren  who  have  opposed  me  have  done  Avrong, 
"We  may,  I  hope,  be  both,  according  to  our  light,  building 
each  a  portion  of  the  wall  of  Jerusalem,  though  on  opposite 
sides. 

"  But  the  awful  conviction  is  deeply  pressing  itself  upon 
me,  that  the  gospel  is  not  preached  generally  in  Scotland, 
that  so  called  '  Evangelicalism '  is  Judaism  ;  that  the  name 
of  God,  Father,  Son,  and  Spirit  which  is  Love,  is  not 
revealed,  but  concealed  ;  that  it  is  not  a  gospel  of  glad- 
tidings,  but  of  lamentation  and  woe  ;  that  it  is  not  a  Gospel 
of  good-will  to  man,  but  to  a  favoured  few  who  'sit  under' 
this  or  that  man. 

"  Thank  God  I  am  free,  never  more  shall  I  be  tram- 
melled by  what  partisan  Christians  think.  One  Master, 
Christ  and  His  Word,  shall  alone  guide  me,  and  speak  I 
will  when  duty  calls,  come  what  may.  I  will  return 
their  adverse  feeling  to  me,  by  seeking  to  set  them  free. 
If  the  Church  of  Scotland  but  knew  the  day  of  her 
visitation  she  would  rejoice  in  what  has  happened." 


To  Dr.  Chaeteris  : — 

"  I  write  to  you  as  a  friend,  and  most  of  all  as  being 
able  to  see  farther  and  more  independently  than  some  of 
our  so-called  leaders. 

" A  conference  !    If  we  are  to  have  conferences, 

surely  there  couhl  very  easily  be  found  subjects  of  discus- 
sion of  more  consequence  to  the  Church  and  to  Glasgow 
than  this.  But  it  has  always  been  thus  with  hyper- 
orthodox  clergy,  straining  at  gnats  and  SAvallowing  camels. 

"  Conference  !  and  all  because  I  don't  find  the  whoh^ 
moral  law  in  the  ten  commandments,  or  because  I  think 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  igg 

the  Decalogue  a  covenant  witli  Israel,  and  as  such  not 
binding  on  us,  and  base  the  Lord's-day  on  Christ  and  not 
on  Moses,  and  find  His  teaching  a  sufficient  rule  of  life 
without  the  Mosaic  covenant  !  Conference  !  If  it  were 
not  my  resolution  to  breed  no  disturbance  or  carry  on  the 
agitation,  I  am  ready  to  fight  the  whole  army  of  them  on 
every  point!" 

To  the  Same  : — 

March  20th,  1866. 

"  God  knows  how  truly  I  feel  with  and  for  my  brethren, 
and  would  do  everything  possible  to  relieve  them  from  the 
difficulty  in  which  they  feel  themselves  placed.  I  am 
bound  even  to  help  them  to  do  their  duty,  though  in  their 
doing  so  I  may  myself  suffer.  I  wish  to  save  my  truth 
and  honour  only. 

"  I  had  a  weary  but  good  time  in  the  South.  In  eight 
days  I  preached  six  sermons,  and  spoke  at  seven  meetings. 
Each  one  hour  and  a  half  at  least.  There  is  some  life  in 
the  old  dog  yet !" 


From  his  JotrENAL  : — 

"  I  am  almost  afraid  to  record  my  impressions  of  what 
has  been  to  me  the  great  event  of  this  winter,  and  j)erhaps 
of  my  life,  the  discussion  of  the  '  Sabbath  question.' 
Though  its  very  memory  will  pass  away  like  one  of  ten 
thousand  things  which  have  more  or  less,  for  good  or 
evil,  affected  our  Church  or  even  national  history,  yet 
surely  some  importance  must,  without  exaggeration,  be 
attached  to  a  question  I  was  the  occasion  of  raising,  which 
has  been  discussed  in  every  newspaper  in  Scotland,  and 
in,  I  presume  to  say,  every  pulpit,  which  has  led  to 
articles  in  almost  every  magazine  in  the  habit  of  discussing 
such  points — in  the  Contem^wrary,  Fortnightly,  Saturday, 
Spectator,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  and  has  induced  Dr.  Hessey  to 
bring  out  a  new  edition  of  his  lectures.*     The  furor  has 

*  Among  the  many  curious  letters  he  received  during  this  time, 
there  is  one  containing   the  following    description  of  a  '  holy  cat.' 


200  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

passed  into  the  colonies,  and  divided  opinion  there  as  Avell 
as  here.  Behold  what  a  great  matter  a  little  spark  kindleth  ! 
The  great  matter  (as  it  has  since  been  proved)  was  the 
combustible  state  of  the  public  mind  from  ultra  and  almost 
nitolerable  Sabbatarianism.  My  speech,  delivered  with  no 
other  thought  than  the  discharge  of  to  me  a  clear  and 
necessary  duty,  was  the  little  spark.  The  excitement  it 
has  created  has  been  unparalleled  since  '43. 

"  One  would  have  to  read  the  newspapers  I  have 
collected  to  comprehend  the  fury  of  the  attack.  Men 
from  every  pulpit  and  through  the  daily  press  seemed  to 
gnash  thtir  teeth  on  me. 

"  And  all  for  what  ?  My  speech  is  my  reply.  The 
charges    which    were    chiefly    made    agamst    me    were — 

Dr.  Maclootl  sent  for  tho  writer,  and  learned  from  him  the  remarkable 
his^tory  of  himself  and  his  cats. 

Deak  Sir 

"  I  am  going  to  toll  ymi  a  small  skitch  about  two  cats  I  had  in 
my  time  one  of  them  was  a  thief  and  a  Sabath  Breaker  tho  other  was 
Honest  and  kept  the  Sabath  in  1845  i  think  I  left  Glasgow  for  Skye 
where  I  belong  to  my  father  had  a  small  farm  I  was  nine  years  there 
every  one  kent  about  the  Eotntoe  failiu-e  there  in  one  of  these  years 
my  father  parted  this  lif  in  23  May  My  mother  on  12th  Agust  mj'  wife 
1st  Jany  same  year  leaving  me  with  five  young  children  the  oldest 
between  ten  and  eleven  years  old  the  j'oungest  a  smart  Boy  this  day 
never  saw  a  mother  yet  I  sent  the  child  to  nurs  at  15s  a  month  I  kept 
with  them  for  two  years  fighting  between  death  and  life  at  last  on  the 
brink  of  starving  I  told  them  ac  last  that  I  would  have  to  leave  them 
that  if  possible  I  would  send  som  suport  from  Glasge  I  got  eight  shil- 
lings for  som  straw  I  had  I  left  them  one  shilly  and  7  to  pay  the  boat 
thej'  waited  for  the  steamboat  on  Saterday  until  late  but  no  relief  on 
Saterday  night  they  went  homo  and  slept  till  late  on  Sunday  when 
they  got  up  they  were  without  a  morsel  of  meat  a  sure  of  rain  came 
on  the  old  las  went  out  and  told  her  sister  to  go  with  her  and  gather 
some  small  botatoes  that  was  coming  in  sight  where  the  botatoes  wns 
lilanted  thny  took  home  a  small  Tot  full  and  put  them  on  the  fire  I 
liad  two  splendid  cats  mother  and  daughter  as  whit  as  snow  except  a 
lew  black  spots  on  the  tail  and  on  the  head  they  were  both  Standing 
to  the  fire  one  of  the  children  said  if  we  had  some  kitchen  now  with 
that  small  Pot  of  botatoes  wo  would  be  all  right  but  in  a  short  time 
one  of  tho  cats  camo  in  with  a  fish  laid  that  beside  the  fire  before  he 
haltf  d  ho  tok  in  a  fish  to  each  of  them  but  when  he  was  at  tho  dor 
with  the  fifth  fish  the  holy  cat  that  stood  at  the  fire  all  the  time  would 
have  tho  last  to  himself  I  think  it  should  be  given  to  the  publick  but 
you  are  tho  best  Judge." 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY  707 

1,  Tliat  I  gave  up  the  moral  laiu  (!)  when  I  merely 
denied  that  the  moral  law  and  the  ten  commandments 
were  identical,  and  asserted  that  the  moral  law  as  such 
was  eternal.  2.  That  I  did  away  tvith  the  Sabbath  when 
I  denied  that  the  Lord's-day  rested  as  its  divine  ground 
on  the  perpetual  obligation  of  the  fourth  commandment, 
but  endeavoured  to  prove  its  superior  glory  and  fitness  and 
blessedness  on  other  grounds.  3.  Tlcat  I  gave  tip  the 
Decalogue  as  a  rule  of  life,  and  therefore  had  no  law  to 
guide  life,  when  I  denied  that  we  required  to  go  to  Moses 
for  a  rule,  having  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  the  gospel  was  not 
a  mere  rule,  but  a  princijale,  even  life  itself  through  faith 
in  Christ,  and  in  the  possession  of  the  Spirit  of  life  which 
necessitates  obedience  to  moral  law  in  all  its  fulness  as 
recorded  in  Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  in  all  the 
Epistles,  and,  above  all,  as  revealed  and  embodied  in  His 
own  holy  life. 

"  The  controversy  soon  passed  into  the  greater  question 
regarding  the  relationship  of  the  law  of  Moses  and  laAV  as , 
a  rule  of  life — '  Thou  shalt '  and  '  shalt  not,'  to  the  gospel 
'  Believe  and  live.'  And  I  am  persuaded  that  the  Sabbath 
controversy  will  more  and  more  reveal  the  intense  Judaism 
prevalent  in  Scotland,  and  b}^  the  Spirit's  teaching  lead 
more  to  the  seeing  of  Christ  as  the  Prophet  as  well  as  the 
Priest  and  the  King — '  Father,  glorify  Thy  Son  that  Thy 
Son  may  glorify  Thee  ! 

"  Another  question  of  immense  importance,  which  has 
grown  and  is  ofrowinof  out  of  this  discussion,  is  ministerial 
liberty  with  reference  to  non-essential  questions,  or  such  as 
do  not  touch  the  great  catholic  doctrines  or  the  vitals  of 
Christianity. 

"  This  question  was  fairly  put  before  the  last  meeting 
of  Presbytery, 

"  Prior  to  that  meeting  the  clerical  mind  had  been 
intensely  inflamed  in  certain  quarters  and  by  certain 
parties.  The  question  Avas  beginning  to  tell  on  the  union 
between  the  Free  Kirk  and  the  United  Presbyterian.  The 
more  intelligent  of  the  laity  were  more  and  more  becoming 
moderate  in  their  views  and  sympathizing  with  me.  I 
had  but  dared  to  express  in  a  coherent,  bold  form  what 


2  02  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

they  Lad  long  pnicticuUy  felt.  Tlicy  had  long  felt  uneasy 
about  the  universal  declamations  from  platfonn  and  pulpit 
about  '  Sabbath  desecration,'  as  it  is  called  by  those  who 
themselves  employ  cabs  or  milk  carts,  &c.,  on  Sabbath. 
No  voice  was  lifted  up  in  defence  of  fair  Christian  liberty 
except  by  so-called  secular  papers,  i.e.,  non-sectarian  or 
non-church  papers.  What  could  any  layman  do  ?  The 
clergy  had  it  all  their  own  way,  and  woe  be  to  the  man 
who  among  themselves  Avould  dare  to  '  peep.'  If  he 
had  no  intluence,  he  would  soon  be  crushed  by  the 
evangehcal  battering  rams.  If  he  had  any  influence 
to  make  himself  heard,  that  influence  miglit  for  ever  be 
destroyed.  What  was  to  be  done  when  I  spoke  ?  Could 
this  be  permitted  ?  If  either  of  the  other  Churches  said 
Yes,  the  other  would  say  No,  and  so  the  union  would  end. 
If  both  were  silent,  the  ignorant  and  conscientious,  drilled 
by  their  clergy  fi-om  infancy  in  Sabbatarianism,  would  force 
them  to  sjjeak  out.  If  both  would  say  No,  then  they 
would  check  incipient  liberty  among  the  younger  clergy  in 
both  Churches,  awe  the  laity,  and  force  the  Establishment 
to  join  them.  The  union  could  then  take  place.  The  laity 
would  not  leave  the  Unionists,  as  the  Establishment  Avas  as 
narrow.  A  stern  clergy-power  would  reign  ;  the  coalition 
would  soon  destroy  the  Establishment  from  old  grudge  and 
hate,  while  it  would  have  no  prestige  of  being  a  National 
Church,  and  as  such  inclusive  to  the  utmost  stretch  of  her 
constitution,  and  the  representative  of  true  freedom  with- 
out licentiousness. 

"  The  politics  of  the  one  party  were  to  represent  the  past 
only,  to  lie  at  anchor  as  if  the  end  of  the  voyage  in  history 
was  reached,  to  accept  the  finding  of  the  Westminster 
Assembly  as  perfect  and  incapable  of  improvement.  The 
politics  of  the  Church,  as  involved  in  this  struggle,  are, 
sail  on,  not  back,  to  hold  by  the  past,  but  to  grow  out 
of  it,  and  as  a  living  organic  whole  to  develop  all  that  is 
good  in  it  into  a  stronger,  expansive,  and  more  fruitful 
tree.  Whether  we  could  or  can  do  this  with  a  Confession 
which  is  part  of  the  constitution  of  the  country,  was  and  is 
the  question. 

"  There  is  a  set  of  ecclesiastics  who  will  not  read  a  book. 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  203 

a  newspaper,  or  argue  with  any  one  wlio  does  not  reflect 
their  own  sentiments.  They  look  into  the  glass  and  say, 
'  I  see  every  time  I  look  there  one  who  always  agrees  with 
me.'  That  is  their  whole  world,  and  of  the  rest  they  are 
profoundly  ignorant. 

"  The  members  of  Presbytery  were  in  a  very  painful  and 
difficult  position.  My  departure  from  the  letter  of  the 
Confession  was  not  only  evident,  but  was  so  in  a  degree 
and  to  an  extent  which  was  almost  unprecedented,  and 
could  not  be  overlooked  without  making  the  Presbytery 
suspected  of  indifference  or  moral  cowardice.  On  the 
other   hand,  they  had   no   personal  ill-will  to   me,  while 

many  had  the  very  kindest  feelings  to  me.      called 

for  me  twice,  and  the  upshot  of  our  conversation  was,  that 
I  declared  what  I  would  not  and  what  I  would  do.  I 
would  not  recant  or  withdraw  one  word  I  had  uttered, 
simply  because  I  did  not  as  yet  see  that  I  had  uttered 
anything  wrong  ;  that  if  I  left  the  Church  I  would  do  so 
with  self-respect,  and  that  I  would  not  propose  to  the 
Presbytery  to  do  anything.  They  must  act  according  to 
their  conscience ;  so  must  I ;  each  realising  our  responsibility 
to  God,  and  leaving  all  results  to  him.  But,  short  of 
the  sacrifice  of  my  honour  and  sense  of  truth,  I  would  act 
with  all  courtesy,  all  Idndness,  and  help  to  carry  their 
burden  of  responsibility  as  I  would  wish  them  to  carry 
mine.  Accordingly  I  did  not  vote  on  what  was  an  im- 
portant question,  the  committee,  which  if  carried  would 
have  brought  the  whole  matter  up  to  the  Assembly  in  a 
formal  manner. 

"  And  so  in  the  meeting  of  Presbytery  which  afterwards 
took  place,  I  admitted  that  I  had  taught  against  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  that  no  doubt  that  was  the  fact,  but  asserted 
that  either  all  had  done  the  same  or  did  not  in  every 
iota  believe  the  Confession;  therefore  the  question  turned  on 
whether  I  had  so  differed  from  the  Confession  as  to  necessi- 
tate deposition  ?  I  thus  at  the  risk  of  my  ecclesiastical  life 
established  the  principle  that  all  differences  from  the  Con- 
fession, apart  from  the  nature  of  the  difference,  did  not 
involve  deposition.  Henceforth  we  shall  keep  our  Con- 
fession with  power  to  depose  on  any  point  of  difference,  yet 


2  0+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

judicially  determining  what  point  or  Avhat  degree  of  differ- 
ence.    A  great  gain  ! 

"  In  so  far  as  the  question  of  ministerial  liberty  was 
concerned,  thank  God,  I  have  gained  the  day,  and  it  is  a 
bright  day  for  Scotland,  which  will  not  be  followed  by 
night,  but  shine  on  unto  the  perfect  day,  which  to  me 
would  be  the  subjection  of  every  soul  to  the  teaching  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  one  prophet  of  the  Church,  and  to 
Moses  and  His  prophets  as  His  servants,  whose  teaching  is 
to  be  interpreted  by  that  of  the  ]\Iaster's. 

"  Their  admonition  was  not  pronounced  but  recorded, 
and  I  said  that  it  was  interesting  as  being  probably  the 
last  which  should  be  addressed  to  any  minister  of  the 
Church  for  teaching  as  I  did,  and  that  I  would  show  it 
some  day  to  my  son  as  an  ecclesiastical  fossil.  They  only 
smiled  and  said  he  w^ould  never  discover  it.  All  was  good 
humour,  and  why  they  did  not  see  or  feel  the  victory  I 
had  gained  I  cannot  tell." 


To  A.  Strahan,  Esq. : — 

"  I  think  the  Assembly  won't  depose — but  having 
risked  all  for  freedom  and  truth,  I  am  not  surprised  at 
having  lost  an  influence  in  this  country  which  will  never 
be  regained  by  me  in  this  world,  though  the  next 
generation  will  reap  freedom  from  it." 


From  his  Joitrnal  : — 

"June,  1866. — The  Assembly  is  over,  and  not  one  per- 
sonal allusion  was  made  regarding  me,  far  less  any  unkind 
word.  Most  wonderful !  Most  unaccountable !  It  is  a 
state  of  things  Avhich  I  cannot  '  take  in.'  I  cannot  account 
for  it.  I  believe  kind  personal  feeling  had  something  to 
do  with  it,  so  some  truthful  men  told  me.  But  it  has  also 
been  said  that  convictions  were  too  general  and  strong 
on  my  side,  as  a  whole,  to  make  any  discussion  safe,  and 
such  as  would  not  be,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  very  agree- 
able as  revealing  the  actual  state  of  the  Church.  Any 
how,  I  thank  and  praise  God  for  His  great  mercy,  and  pray 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  205 

that  I  may  be  enabled  to  use  this  hberty  humbly,  lovingly, 
and  sincerely  for  His  glory.  I  trust  that  I  shall  be  able 
more  than  ever  to  streno^then  men's  convictions  as  to  the 
blessedness  of  the  Lord's-day,  and  the  spiritual  good  of 
keeping  it  holy  unto  the  Lord.  I  hope  also  to  be  able  to 
check  any  tendency  which  some  possibly  may  entertain  of 
being  able  to  preach  lax  doctrine  as  regards  catholic  truth 
and  vital  Christianity.  I  hope  that  my  freedom,  Avhich 
has  been  obtained  at  a  great  price,  may  ever  be  used  to 
bring  men  under  law  to  Christ,  and  never  directly  or  in- 
directly to  be  perverted  into  a  cloak  for  licentiousness, 
or  for  conceited  pup2nes  to  trifle  with  the  eternal  verities 
of  religion,  or  the  proprieties  of  our  National  Church. 

"  Oh,  my  Father !  Guide  me,  give  me  a  single  eye,  a 
pure  and  loving  heart.  Deliver  me  from  the  temptation  of 
party.  Help  me  to  be  ever  consistent  with  the  truth,  and 
ever  teach  me  by  Thine  infinite  power,  wisdom,  and  love, 
what  the  truth  is.  Let  Thy  Spirit  j)ierce  through  all  the 
crust  of  selfishness,  vanity,  ambition,  and  the  love  of  man's 
approval,  and  enable  me,  come  what  may,  to  keep  Thy 
blessed  will  before  me,  and  to  folloAv  it  unto  death. 

"  It  is  far  more  difficult  to  act  rightly  in  prosperity  than 
in  adversity,  when  victorious  than  when  defeated.  At  all 
times  how  difticult  to  be  humble,  to  consider  others,  to  be 
subject  one  to  another,  to  have  the  love  that  vaunteth  not 
itself ! 

"  Almighty  God  !  In  infinite  mercy,  keep  me  from  being 
true  to  any  Church  or  party,  yet  false  to  Thee,  or  to  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

"  A  few  years  more,  should  these  be  given,  and  my  work 
is  done.  Grant,  oh  my  Father,  that  it  may  be  so  done  as 
that  I  may  be  acknowledged  as  a  faithful  servant.  For- 
give, forgive,  forgive  !  through  the  blood  of  Jesus  shed  for 
the  remission  of  the  sins  of  the  world." 


From  tiie  late  Eev.  F.  D.  Maurice  ; — 

"  I  have  been  writing  a  short  book,  *  On  the  Command- 
ments as  Instruments  for  Preserving  and  Restoring  Na- 
tional Life  and  Freedom.' 


2o6  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  As  the  book  maintains  a  doctrine  which  is  adverse  to 
that  in  your  speech  on  the  Sabbath,  I  intended  to  dedi- 
cate it  to  you  that  I  might  express  the  high  respect  I  feel 
for  you,  and  my  thorough  agreement  with  your  object, 
while  I  deviate  so  widely  from  a  part  of  your  theory.  But 
if  you  think  the  dedication  Avould  in  any  way  be  injurious 
to  you,  or  if  it  would  be  disagreeable  to  you,  I  will  cancel 
it  altogether,  or  I  will  omit  any  passages  in  it  that  may 
give  you  the  least  annoyance." 


From,  Deax  Stanley  to  Dr.  Macleod  : — 

Deanery,  Westminster,  September  11th,  1866. 

"My  dear  Bishop, 

"  ( For  under  this  aspect  I  always  regard  you 
when  I  cross  the  Border).  I  much  lament  that  I  dare  not 
accept  the  offer  to  lecture  at  Glasgow.  There  are  some 
things  which  I  should  much  enjoy  saying  to  an  assembly 
of  Scots,  but  the  convenient  season  is  not  yet  come. 

"  In  coming  from  Berwick  to  Edinburgh,  we  had  with 
us  in  the  railway  carriage  a  man  from  Glasgow.  '  Do  you 
know  Dr.  Norman  Macleod  ? '  '  Not  personally,  because  I 
am  a  Free  Churchman.  My  sister,  however,  sits  under 
him,  and  likes  him  very  much.  But  Norman  Macleod  has 
had  a  fine  heckling  about  the  Boxology  I '  " 

To  the  Eev.  D.  Morrison  : — 

Hydropathic  Establishment,  Clunt  Hill,  Forres, 

September,  18G6. 

"  Here  I  am  in  a  state  of  perpetual  thaw,  ceaseless 
moisture,  always  under  a  wet  blanket,  and  constantly  in 
dano^er  of  kicking  the  bucket — '  water,  water  evervwhere.' 
I  have  been  stewed  like  a  goose,  beat  on  like  a  drum,  bat- 
tered like  a  pancake,  rubbed  like  corned  beef,  dried  like 
Findon  haddock,  and  wrapped  up  like  a  mummy  in  wet 
sheets  and  blankets.  My  belief  is  that  I  am  in  a  lunatic 
asylum — too  mad  to  be  quite  sure  about  it.  My  wife  says 
I  never  was  so  sane.  But  what  if  she  herself  is  insane  ? 
That  is  a  difficulty. 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  207 

"  I  am  composing  a  Hydropathic  Catechism  for  the  use 
of  schools. 

"  What  was  the  primeval  state  of  the  globe  ?     Water. 

"  What  was  the  first  blessing  bestowed  on  the  earth  ? 
Rain. 

"  What  was  the  grand  means  of  purifying  the  earth  ? 
The  Deluge. 

"  Mention  some  of  the  great  deliverances  by  water  ? 
Moses  in  the  Nile  ;  ditto,  Red  Sea,  &c.,  &c. 

"  This  is  laying  what  is  called  a  religious  foundation. 
Then  comes  the  scientific. 

"  What  is  the  best  music  ?     Water-pipes. 

"  What  is  the  best  hght  ?     Dips. 

"  What  is  the  best  wife  ?     A  mermaid. 

"  What  is  the  best  death  ?  Water  in  the  chest,  or 
drowning. 

"  Who  are  the  true  Church  ?     Baptists. 

"What  is  the  best  song  in  the  English  language?  'A 
wet  sheet  and  a  flowing  sea.' 

"Who  are  the  true  aristocracy?     The  K.C.B.'s,  &c.,  &c. 

"  This  will  be  the  most  celebrated  book  published  in  the 
rain  of  Queen  Victoria !  I  will  dedicate  it  to  the  raining 
family." 


To 


"  I  am  much  interested  by  the  evolution  from  your 
internal  consciousness  of  the  lamb-like  character  of  your 
disposition.  It  quite  agrees  with  my  estimate  of  my  own 
disposition.  I  have  invariably  testified  to  my  wife  that 
there  never  was  a  more  calm,  sweet,  obedient,  and  gentle 
husband  than  myself,  so  long  as  she  never  contradicts  me, 
opposes  me,  differs  from  me  ;  but,  if  she  does  so,  then 
very  different  feelings  may  manifest  themselves.  If  so, 
who  is  to  blame  ?  She  is,  of  course — who  else  ?  Not  the 
lamb,  but  the  lion  that  worries  it.  '  Heaven  help  me  ! '  said 
Niagara,  '  what  injustice  the  world  does  me  !  They  call  me 
a  river  which  is  always  foaming  in  rapids,  thundering  in 
falls,  seething  in  foam  and  whirlpools  !  Is  that  my  fault  ? 
Fuff !     All  of  you  Yankees,  Prussians,  and  French,  I  am 


208 


LIFE  or  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


of  a  most  sweet,  calm,  and  pliable  disposition.  But  if 
those  low  blackguard  rocks  will  oppose  me,  interfere  with 
me,  cross  my  i)ath  with  their  confounded  strata,  hem  me 
in  on  every  side,  crush  me  ;  what  can  I  do  but  foam, 
and  sj)it,  and  rage  ?  Let  me,  leave  me  alone  !  and  you 
will    see    how    calmly    I    shall    sleep    and  reflect    in   my 

bosom  the  glories  of 
earth  and  sky  ! '  Oh, 
my  darling  Niagara, 
forgive  my  injustice  ! 
Pity  my  ignorance  ! 
May  thy  sleep  bo 
sweet  in  thine  Erie 
garret  and  in  thy 
Lake  Superior  in 
'CO!'" 


To  Mrs.  MACLEOD : 

Balmorax,  \bili  Ocfoler,  1866. 

"  The  Queen  is  pleased  to  command  me  to  remain  here 
till  Tuesday. 

"  I  found  Mr.  Cardwell  had  been  in  the  Barony,  and,  to  the 
great  amusement  of  the  Queen,  he  repeated  my  scold  about 
the  singing.*  After  dinner,  the  Queen  invited  me  to  her 
room,  where  I  found  the  Princess  Helena  and  Marchioness 
of  Ely. 

"  The  Queen  sat  down  to  spin,  at  a  nice  Scotch  wheel, 
while  I  read  Robert  Burns  to  her  :  '  Tarn  o'  Shanter,'  and 
'  A  man's  a  man  for  a'  that,'  her  favourite. 

"  The  Prince  and  Princess  of  Hesse  sent  for  me  to  see 
their  children.  The  eldest,  Victoria,  whom  I  saw  at  Darm- 
stadt, is  a  most  sweet  child ;  the  youngest,  Elizabeth,  a 
round,  fat  ball  of  loving  good-nature.  I  gave  her  a  real 
hobble,  such  as  I  give  Polly.  I  suppose  the  little  thing 
never  got  anything  like  it,  for  she  screamed  and  kicked 
with  a  perfect  furore  of  delight,   would  go  from   me  to 

*  *'  Scripture  commands  ns  to  *  sing  ' — not  gnmt — but  if  you  arc  so 
constituted  physicully  thiit  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  sing,  but  ouly 
grunt — tlieu  it  is  best  to  be  silent." 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  209 

neither  father  nor  mother  or  nurse,  to  their  great  merri- 
ment, but  buried  her  chubby  face  in  my  cheek,  until  I 
gave  her  another  right  good  hobble.  They  are  such  dear 
children. 

"  The  Prince  of  Wales  sent  a  message  asking  me  to  go 

and  see  him. 

****** 

"  When  I  was  there  the  young  Prince  of  Wales  fell  on 
the  wax-cloth,  after  lunch,  with  such  a  thump  as  left  a 
swollen  blue  mark  on  his  forehead.  He  cried  for  a  minute, 
and  then  laughed  most  bravely.  There  was  no  fuss  what- 
ever made  about  him  by  mother,  father,  or  any  one , 
yet  it  must  have  been  very  sore,  and  I  would  have  been 
nervous  about  it,  if  it  had  happened  to  Polly.  He  is  a 
dear,  sweet  child.  All  seem  to  be  very  happy.  We  had  a 
great  deal  of  pleasant  talk  in  the  garden.  Dear,  good 
General  Grey  drove  me  home." 

To  his  Mother  : — 

Abergeldib. 

"  It  was  reported  to  me  the  other  day,  with  perfect  con- 
fidence, that  the  young  Prince  was  deformed  in  his  hands. 
I  saw  and  kissed  the  child  to-day,  and  a  more  healthy,  per- 
fect, or  more  delightful  child  I  never  saw.  Think  of  these 
lies!" 


To  Caijon  Kingsley  : — 

Adelaide  Place,  A-pril  10th,  1867. 

"  When  I  wish  to  remember  a  friend  daih'-  I  don't 
answer  his  letter  for  days  when  it  demands  an  imme- 
diate reply.  What  a  presence  he  becomes,  and  how 
humble  and  ashamed  one  feels  before  him,  especially  when 
we  have  no  excuse  for  our  silence  which  can  bear  his 
scrutiny !  By  this  sinful  process,  '  how  often  hath  my 
spirit  turned  to  thee  ? '  ever  since  I  received  your  note  ! 
I  won't  tell  you  how  much  I  felt  on  reading  your  note.  I 
shall  leave  it  to  my  boys  that  they  may,  when  I  am  gone, 
learn  from  it  that  one  so  great  and  good  gave  their  old 
dad  so  hearty  and  firm  a  grasp  of  his  hand.      God  bless 

VOL.    II.  p 


210 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


you  for  it !  With  all  my  heart  I  return  it,  for  all  you 
are  and  '  a'  Glencairn  has  been  to  me.'  I  send  my  'plan,' 
as  a  Highland  laird  termed  his  wife's  likeness,  to  your 
lady,  proud  that  it  may  find  a  humble  place  in  her  collec- 
tion. The  only  inscription  I  am  inclined  to  write  on  it 
would  be,  Eccles.  ii.  15,  last  clause." 

To  A.  Stbahan,  Esq. : — 

" 's  verses  are  neither  high  as  the  pyramids  nor 

deep  as  the  sea,  but  a  profound  and  unutterable  mystery 
of  invisible  stuff,  of  which  even  you  do  not  comprehend 
one  word.     Wait  till  I  examine  you." 


Sonnet  by  Jliss 

Blackheath,  Friday  Morning,  \Qth  May,  1867. 

"  Had  such  a  congregation  yesterday  !  Such  a  church  ! 
I  was  very  happy,  my  heart  was  in  it,  and  the  people 
seemed  thankful.  They  gave  audible  exj^ression  more  than 
once,  laughing  outright,  and  semi-applause !  Newman  Hall, 
Mullens,  Dale,  Rogers,  &c.,  were  present,  and  many  mission- 
aries, all  so  affectionate.  It  was  a  happy  night,  and  I 
thank  God  for  it ;  and  so  Avill  you,  dearest." 


From  his  Joukx^vl  : — 

"  I  spent  last  fortnight  in  the  South.  Visited  Man- 
chester and  Leamington.  A  happy  time.  Composed  in 
train,  '  Whistle  the  Mavie.' 


SABBATH  CONTROVERSY.  211 

"  Published  the  '  Curling  Song,'  last  month,  in  Black- 
wood. 

"  Lived  with  Dean  Stanley  from  the  16th  till  the  18th/ 

The  story  of  the  '  Starling,'  on  which  he  was  now 
engaged,  was  suggested  by  a  note  which  he  received 
the  day  after  his  speech  on  the  Sabbath  question,  from 
the  former  editor  of  the  Reformer'' s  Gazette  in  Glas- 
gow : — 

"Suffer  me  to  give  you  the  following  story  which  I 
heard  in  Perth  upwards  of  forty  years  ago.  A  very  rigid 
clergyman  of  that  city  had  a  very  decent  shoemaker  for  an 
elder,  who  had  an  extreme  liking  for  birds  of  all  kinds, 
not  a  few  of  which  he  kept  in  cages,  and  they  cheered 
him  in  his  daily  work.  He  taught  one  of  them  in  par- 
ticular (a  starling)  to  whistle  some  of  our  finest  old  Scot- 
tish tunes.  It  happened  on  a  fine  Sabbath  morning  the 
starling  was  in  fine  feather,  and  as  the  miiiister  was  pass- 
ing by  he  heard  the  starling  singing  with  great  glee  in  his 
cage  outside  his  door,  '  Ower  the  water  to  Charlie  ! '  The 
worthy  minister  was  so  shocked  at  this  on  the  Sabbath 
morning  that  on  Monday  he  insisted  the  shoemaker  would 
either  wring  the  bird's  neck  or  demit  the  office  of  elder. 
This  was  a  cruel  alternative,  but  the  decent  shoemaker 
clung  to  his  favourite  bird,  and  prospered.  If  he  had 
murdered  the  innocent,  would  the  Sabbath  have  been 
sanctified  to  him  ? 

"  Yours  faithfully, 

"Peter  Mackenzie." 

From  this  brief  narrative  the  tale  of  the  '  Starling  * 
was  written — perhaps  the  ablest  of  his  attempts  in 
fiction.  As  a  literary  production,  it  is  remarkable 
as  being  without  any  love-plot,  and  in  making  the 
interest  of  the  story  turn  completely  on  another  range 
of  sympathies. 

p  2 


212 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


From  his  JottbnaIj  :— 

"  I  am  writing  the  '  Starling'  for  Good  Words,  to  illus- 
trate the  one-sidedness  and  consequent  untruth  of  hard 
loo-ical  '  principle,'  when  in  conflict  with  genuine  moral 
feeling,  true  faith  versus  apparent  '  truth '  of  reasoning." 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

SOME    CHARACTERISTICS. 

IT  is  unfortunate  that  no  record  of  his  '  Table-talk ' 
has  been  preserved,  for  every  one  who  knew  him 
would  at  once  fix  on  his  conversation  as  the  sphere 
in  which  he  alone  displayed  the  riches  of  his  imagi- 
nation, wit,  humour,  and  sympathy. 

"Much  as  one  enjoys,"  writes  Principal  Shairp,  "many 
things  that  come  from  his  pen,  full  as  they  are  of  healthy 
life  and  human  heartedness,  nothing  he  has  Avritten  is  any 
measure  of  the  powers  that  were  in  him.  The  sermons  he 
preached,  with  the  language  warm  from  his  heart,  were  far 
beyond  the  best  he  published.  His  addresses  to  public 
meetings  were  better  than  his  sermons,  for  they  allowed 
him  to  flavour  his  earnest  thoughts  with  that  overflowing 
humour  which  would  have  been  out  of  place  in  the  pulpit. 
Sometimes  when  he  met  a  congenial  party  at  dinner,  or  on 
an  evening,  his  talk  impressed  them  more  than  his  best 
speeches,  so  rich  was  it,  so  varied  and  versatile.  But  the 
time  to  get  him  at  his  best  and  fuUest  was  when  you  sat 
up  with  him  till  midnight,  all  alone  in  his  study,  with 
none  to  hear  but  one  famihar  friend  in  whose  sympathy 
he  could  fully  rely — it  was  then  that  his  whole  soul  came 
out  in  all  its  breadth  and  rich  variety,  touching  every 
chord  of  human  feeling,  and  ranging  from  common  earth, 
to  highest  heaven.  The  anecdote,  reflection,  argument, 
bright  flashes  of  imagination,  drollest  humour,  most  thrill- 
ing  pathos,  and  solemn  thoughts  wandering  through 
eternity,  all  blended  into  one  whole  of  conversation,  the 


2 1 4  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MA  CLEOD. 

like  of  which  you  never  before  listened  to.  In  a  moment 
he  would  pass  from  some  comical  illustration  of  human 
character  to  the  most  serious  reality  of  sacred  truth,  and 
you  would  feel  no  discord.  In  any  other  hands  there 
would  have  been  a  jar,  but  not  in  his.  Those  mIio  knew 
him  well  will  understand  what  I  mean,  to  others  it  cannot 
be  described.  At  such  times  I  used  to  think  that  if  all 
the  pleasantest,  ablest  conversations  I  had  ever  heard  ut 
Oxford  from  one's  best  friends  had  been  rolled  into  one, 
it  would  not  have  made  up  such  a  profusion  of  soul  as 
came  from  Norman  then.  No  one,  however  well  he 
might  otherAvise  know  him,  could  estimate  his  full  breadth 
and  depth  of  nature,  unless  they  had  spent  with  him  some 
such  solitary  evenings  as  these." 

Another  who  knew  him  well  wrote  after  his 
death : — * 

"  How  he  taught  me — as  he  taught  many  whose  hap- 
piest fortune  it  has  been  to  share  now  and  again  in  those 
quiot  hours  in  his  back  study — that  all  of  the  bright  and 
beautiful  in  life,  all  that  could  gladden  the  spirit  and  cheer 
the  heart,  gained  yet  a  brighter  tint  in  the  light  reflected 
from  a  Father's  love  :  that  mirth  became  more  deep,  and 
so  much  more  real  :  that  each  good  gift  became  much 
more  cherished  from  the  recognition  of  the  Great  Giver  of 
all.  And  here  truly,  it  has  seemed  to  me,  did  he  espe- 
cially prove  himself  a  minister  of  the  Gospel 

Nothing  w^as  more  strange  to  me  at  first — nothing  came  to 
be  accepted  by  me  as  more  natural  afterwards — than  the 
constant  evidence  which  each  opportunity  of  private  inter- 
course with  this  great,  large-hearted,  noble-minded  man 
afforded  me  of  the  deep  undercurrent  in  his  thoughts  and 
life.  I  never  knew  him  in  all  my  meetings  with  him 
force  a  reference  to  relifaous  thought  or  feelinsr.  I  never 
was  Avith  him  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  that  his  confidential 
talk,  however  conversational,  however  humorous  even, 
had  not,  as  it  were  of  itself  and  as  of  necessity,  disclosed 
the  centre  round  which  his  whole  life  revolved." 

♦  See  Good  Wordi  for  1872,  p.  515. 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  215 

The  'ceaseless  mimicry,'  which  had  provoked  his 
father  when  IN'orman  Macleod  was  a  boy,  and  the  wit 
and  humour,  which  grew  with  his  growth,  were  in- 
valuable possessions  to  himself  in  his  later  years,  as 
well  as  sources  of  delight  to  others.  Harassed  by 
work  almost  to  despair,  worried  past  endurance  by  all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men  and  women,  then,  as  jper 
contra.,  he  would  indulge  in  some  humorous  grimaces 
and  apostrophes,  give  a  fresh  touch  to  a  ridiculous 
rhyme,  or  draw  a  series  of  funny  faces.  Odd  carica- 
tures were,  at  such  times,  dropped  into  letters,  even 
the  most  serious — sometimes  as  a  heading,  more  usually 
by  way  of  signature.'''''  These  tricks  of  humour  were 
to  him  refreshing  as  well  as  amusing. 

•  A  fac-simile  is  here  given  of  one  of  these  illustrated  letters, 
■written  to  the  late  Mr.  Murray,  of  Melrose,  in  reply  to  one  asking  for 
his  autograph :  — 

"My  dear  Mr.  Murray, 

"Did  I  ever  rejily  to  your  note  requesting  autographs?    I 
believe  not. 

"The  reason  is  that  I  have  been  studying  ever  since  to  write  a 
telling,  graphic,  remarkable  signature.  The  fact  is,  I  vary  my  signa- 
ture with  my  correspondents.     When  I  write  my  wife  or  mother,  it  ia 

in  this  wise .     When  I  write  my  children,  it  is  so , 

singularly  clear  and  beautiful.     To  crowned  heads  I  am  more  aristo- 
cratic, as .     To  Abraham  Lincoln  I  never  give  more  than 

Yours,  &c., 


"  To  the  Pope  it  is 

Yours,  old  cock, 

f  Barony. 
"  Ditto  with  Canterbury.     When  I  write  a  gentleman  like  yourself, 
I  always  subscribe  myself  as 

Your  faithful  serv. 


which  I  call  a  wearable,  good,  healthy  signature. 

"  To  my  brothers  and  sisters  I  use  signs,  such  as  intellectual, 
serene,  — .     Inquisitive,  respectable,  orthodox,  doubtful. 

"How  came  tbat  note  of  yours  to  turn  up  in  my  bag  with  one 
hundred  other  letters;  when  on  a  wet  day  I  have  returned  from  lunch 
to  dinner  to  reply  to  them  ?  Such  a  reply !  When  you  have  received 
this  evidence  of  my  remembrance  of  you,  burn  it,  or  I  will — you." 


ii6  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

One  of  his  favourite  studies  in  the  way  of  drollery 
was  Highland  characters,  and  Highland  drovers  in 
particular.  As  he  recollected  the  boyish  awe  with 
which  he  regarded  these  men  on  their  return  from  the 
great  '  Trysts  '  of  Falkirk  or  Dumbarton ;  the  absorb- 
ing interest  taken  by  the  people  in  their  accounts  of 
the  markets,  and  prices  of  'stots,'  'queys,'  and  all 
varieties  of  sheep  ;  their  utter  indifference  to  every 
human  concern  except  cattle  and  collies ;  then  the 
absurdity  of  the  contrast  between  these  old  memories 
and  his  immediate  cares  and  troubles  would  fairly 
overpower  him,  and  result  most  likely  in  a  dramatic 
representation  of  a  debate  about  the  quality  of  '  stock.' 
He  had  formed  for  himself  an  ideal  drover,  whom  he 
named  Peter  MacTavish,  round  whose  figure  a  world 
of  ridiculous  fancies  was  grouped.  Only  a  person 
well  acquainted  with  Highland  character  could  have 
appreciated  the  wit  and  dramatic  truthfulness  of  this 
conception.  Often,  when  his  father  was  oppressed 
with  the  weakness  of  extreme  age,  IS'orman  would  go 
down  of  an  evening  to  cheer  him,  and  before  approach- 
ing those  more  solemn  subjects  with  which  their  inter- 
course always  closed,  he  would  stir  his  old  Highland 
associations  and  tickle  his  genial  fancy  by  a  personifi- 
cation of  this  'Peter,'  mingling,  in  broken  Gaelic, 
reflections  on  men  and  manners  with  discourses  on 
"beasts,"  till  from  very  pain  of  laughter  his  father 
would  beseech  him  to  desist.  '  Peter '  was  more  than 
once  introduced  by  him  into  strange  scenes.  When 
in  Italy,  he  concocted  a  long  narrative,  showing  the 
connection  between  the  Pope's  Bulls  and  the  other 
species  '  Peter '  had  sold  at  Falkirk,  and  in  not  a  few 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS. 


2  17 


hotel  books  the  sonorous  rendering  Pietro  Tavisino 
was  entered.  At  Moscow,  the  temptation  of  bringing 
the  drover  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Kremlin  was  so  great,  that  I  be- 
lieve he  gave  himself  no  other  de- 
signation than  'Peter  MacTavish, 
from  Mull.' 

This  sense  of  the  ludicrous  was 
a  passion  which  seized  him  at  the 
most  unlikely  moments.  The  fol- 
lowing verses,  for  example,  were 
mostly  written  when  he  was  en- 
during   such  violent   pain    that  the      'Peter 'as  a  Monkey-god. 

night  was  spent  in  his  study,  and  he  had  occasion- 
ally to  bend  over  the  back  of  a  chair  for  relief: — 


CAPTAIN  FEAZEE'S  NOSE. 

Air. — "  The  Lass  0'  Goivrie." 

0,  if  ye'r  at  Dumbarton  Fair, 
Gang  to  the  Castle  when  ye'r  there, 
And  see  a  sight  baith  rich  and  rare — 
The  nose  o'  Cajitain  Fruzer  I 

Unless  ye'r  blin'  or  unco  glee'd, 
A  mile  awa'  ye'r  sure  to  seo't, 
And  neerer  han'  a  man  gauns  wi't 

That  owns  the  nose  o'  Frazer, 

It's  great  in  length,  it's  great  in  girth, 
It's  great  in  grief,  it's  great  in  mirth. 
The'  grown  wi'  years,  'twas  great  at  birth- 
It's  greater  far  than  Frazer  ! 

I've  heard  volcanoes  loudly  roaring, 
And  Niagara's  waters  pouring; 
But  oh,  gin  yo  had  heard  the  snorin' 

Frae  the  nose  o'  Captain  Frazer  1 

Tae  waukin'  sleepin'  con,':,'regations, 
Or  rouse  to  battle  sleepin'  nations, 
Gae  wa'  wi'  preachings  and  orations, 
And  try  the  nose  0'  Frazer  1 


2 1 8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MA  CLEOD. 

Gif  French  invaders  try  to  Ian' 
Upon  our  glorious  Britisli  stran', 
Fear  nocht  if  .^liips  are  no'  at  hun', 

But  trust  the  nose  o'  Frazer. 

Just  crak'  that  cannon  ower  the  shore, 
Weel  rammed  wi'  snuff,  then  let  it  roar 
Ae  Hielan'  sneeze  !  then  never  more 

They'll  daur  the  noee  o'  Frazer  I 

If  that  great  Nose  is  ever  deid. 

To  bury  it  ye  dinna  need, 

Nae  coirin  made  o'  wood  or  lead 

Could  haud  the  nose  o'  Frazer. 

But  let  it  stan'  itsel'  alane 
Erect,  like  some  big  Druid  stane, 
That  a'  the  warl'  may  see  its  bane, 
"  In  memory  o'  Frazer !  "  * 
Diimharton,  September  1,  1771. 

*  He  afterwards  introduced  this  song  into  a  story,  which  was  not 
completed,  and  has  never  been  published,  and  added  the  following 
note : — 

"  No  one  can  read  this  song  without  being  painfully  struck  with  the 
tone  of  exaggeration  about  it.  Anxious,  however,  to  investigate  as 
far  as  possible  into  this  matter,  we  wrote  to  Mr.  MucGilvray,  the 
keeper  of  the  Antiquarian  Museum  at  Dumbarton,  who,  sympathising 
with  us,  obligedly  sent  us  a  long  communication,  from  which  we  quote 
with  his  permission.  He  says  :  '  I  am  confirmed  in  your  views  regard- 
ing the  exagLreratcd  account  given  in  the  poem  of  "  Captain  Frazer's 
Nose,"  by  a  long  correspondence  on  the  subject,  as  a  scientific  question, 
with  two  distinguished  savans.  They  both  decidedly  think  that  a 
human  nose,  by  the  cnnstant  application  of  snuff  to  its  nostrils,  and  of 
Athole  brose,  which  they  properly  assume  to  possess  a  considerable 
amount  of  alcoholic  ingredients,  might,  acting  upon  it  from  within 
through  the  nervous  system,  if  continued  for  a  vast  and  incalculable 
series  of  ages,  be  developed  at  last  into  a  proboscis  so  large  as  ulti- 
mately wholly  to  absorb  the  person  of  its  possessor.  Arguing  from 
this  fact,  they  also  believe  that,  by  a  recurrent  law  of  Nature,  the 
original  organization  attached  to  a  man  might  return  to  the  form  of  a 
huge  aimelide,  or  possibly  earthworm,  which  might,  like  the  dragon  of 
romance,  prove  a  terror  to  the  country,  and  might  thus  originate  a 
new  age  of  romantic  poetry,  or  even  a  religicm !  But  thej-  treat  as 
purely  mythical  the  existence  of  any  nose  in  this  age  such  as  is  alleged 
to  have  belonged  to  Captain  Frazer  or  to  any  other  of  our  race  at  the 
present  stage  of  its  progress.  If  this  is  asserted,  they  demand  the 
bone  of  Frazer's  noso  for  scientific  examination.'  If  more  full  and 
complete  information  on  this  great  subject  is  sought  by  our  more 
scientific  readers,  we  must  refer  them  to  the  learned  Professor  H.'s 
paper,  '  On  the  Development  of  the  Nasal  Organ  in  Man,  with  its 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS. 


aig 


Ko  one  wlio  recollects  the  importance  lie  attached 
to  district  visiting  will  misunderstand  the  verses  which 
follow,  as  if  they  were  meant  seriously  to  discourage 
such  efforts : — 

PATRICK  MACPHUDD. 

HINTS  ON  DISTRICT  VISITING  BY  GOOD  LADIES. 

Miss  Jemima  MacDowal,  tlie  parson's  sweet  jewel, 
Is  fair  and  red  as  a  rose  coming  out  of  its  bud, 

But  ocli,  "  by  the  powers,"  what  attention  she  showers, 
On  that  thundering  blackguard,  big  Patrick  MacPhudd. 

She  says  she  is  sartain  and  shure  to  convart  him, 

And  to  lift  the  ould  Catholic  out  of  the  mud, 
And  so  she  is  walking,  and  every  day  talking. 

To  Mistress,  or  Misses,  or  Mister  MacPhudd. 


natural  selection  of  snuff  among  some  savage  nations,'  read  before  the 
last  meeting  of  the  British  Association,  and  which  was  received  with 
prodigious  sneezes.  '  With  my  profound  reverence  for  Science,'  Mr. 
MacGrilvray  goes  on  to  say,  '  I  need  hardly  say  that  I  heartily  concur 
in  these  conclusions  of  the  learned  gentleman,  and  leave  the  whole 
question  in  perfect  peace  to  be  finally  decided  by  the  races  which  shall 
appear  as  our  descendants  in  future  ages.  But  as  all  true  science,  as 
the  great  Goethe  once  remaxked  (so,  at  least,  I  read  in  a  newspaper). 


2  20  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

She's  so  svreet  a  bit  cratiir,  and  humble  by  natur 

As  to  carry  down  soup,  or  a  cast-away  Dud ; 
A  cap  for  the  lady,  a  irock  for  the  baby, 

Or  a  top-coat  for  ragged  ould  Patrick  MacPhudd. 

••  May  the  saint  blessings  send  you,  and  always  defend  you 
From  pestilence,  famine,  from  thunder  and  flood ; 

May  archangels  guard  you,  and  Mary  reward  you," 
Says  the  oily  ould  father,  Patrick  MacPhudd. 

Ould  Patrick  so  grateful,  sends  out  for  the  nadeful. 

And  drinks  till  he  lies  like  a  pig  in  the  mud  ; 
There  his  wife  too  is  lying,  while  the  children  are  crying, 

And  both  are  well  thrashed  by  sweet  Patrick  MacPhudd. 

Every  day  he  is  muddled — every  night  he  gets  fuddled. 
On  pay-days  he's  fighting  and  covered  with  blood; 

He's  a  Catholic  Sunday,  and  a  Protestant  Monday — 
"  Och,  I'll  not  tell  a  lie,"  says  honest  MacPhudd. 

«'  You  thundering  ould  blackguard,"  says  Father  MacTaggert ; 

The  Priest  trembled  over  with  rage  where  he  stood  ; 
"  Is  it  true  ye're  convarted,  and  by  swaddlers  pervarted  ? 

Look  me  straight  in  the  face,  and  deny  it,  MacPhudd." 

"  Convarted  !  Parvarted  !  "  howled  Pat  broken-hearted, 
"  I  wish  I  could  drink  up  her  Protestant  blood ; 

I  vow  by  Saint  Peter,  I'd  roast  her  and  eat  her. 
And  crunch  all  her  bones,"  says  sweet  darling  MacPhudd. 

And  now  all  good  ladies,  who  visit  bad  Paddies, 
Be  advised  just  to  let  them  keep  quiet  in  the  mud, 

And  spend  all  your  labours  on  dacent  Scotch  neighbours, 
And  not  on  ould  blackguards  like  Patrick  MacPhudd. 

December,  1856. 

^The  Waggin'  o'  onr  Dog's  Tail,'  in  which  were 
embodied  the  supposed  reflections  of  his  dog  Skye 
upon  men  and  manners,  was  frequently  sung  by  him 

first  departs  out  of  sight  like  an  eagle,  then  returns  as  a  servant  to 
our  kitchen  to  make  itself  useful — the  true  thus  ending  always  in  the 
practical — so  do  these  grand  speculations  lead  to  this  agreeable  con- 
clusion, that,  for  the  present  generation,  at  least,  savages  and  civilised, 
clergy  and  laity,  may  snufiF  and  partake  even  of  Athole  brose  without 
any  fear  of  their  noses  becoming  a  bmden  to  themselves  or  a  terror  to 
the  country.' 

"  We  are  glad  to  serve  the  cause  of  Science  by  communicating  tliis 
splendid  result  of  its  profound  researches  to  the  world !  " 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  221 

in  later  years.  The  earnest,  meditative  countenance, 
and  the  quaint  accentuation  with  which  he  rendered 
it,  accompanied  by  a  suggestive  twirl  of  his  thumb, 
to  indicate  the  approving  'wag'  of  the  tail,  lent 
indescribable  drollery  to  the  words. 

"  THE  WAGGIN'  0'  QUE  DOG'S  TAIL." 

Air, — "  The  larrin'  0'  the  door," 

We  hae  a  dog  that  wags  his  tail 

(He's  a  bit  o'  a  wag  himsel'  O  !) 
Every  day  he  gangs  down  the  town, 
At  nicht  his  news  to  tell  O  ! 

The  waggin'  0'  our  dog's  tail,  bow-wow  I 
The  waggin'  o'  our  dog's  tail ! 

He  saw  the  Provost  o'  the  town, 

Parading  down  the  street  0  ! 
Quo'  he,  "  Ye're  no  like  my  lord. 

For  ye  canna  see  your  feet  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &c. 

He  saw  a  man  grown  unco'  poor, 

And  looking  sad  and  sick  O  ! 
Quo'  he,  "  Cheer  up,  for  ilka  dog 

Has  aye  a  bane  to  pick  O  !  " 

The  waggin',  &o. 

He  saw  a  man  wi'  mony  a  smile, 

Wi'out  a  grain  o'  sowl  0  ! 
Quo'  he,  "  I've  noticed  mony  a  dog. 

Could  bite  and  never  growl  0  ! " 

The  waggin',  &c. 

He  saw  a  man  look  gruff  and  cross, 

Wi'out  a  grain  o'  spite  0  ! 
Quo'  he,  "  He's  like  a  hantle  *  dogs 

Whose  bark  is  waur  than  their  bite  0  I  •* 
The  waggin',  &c. 

He  saw  an  M.P.  unco'  proud. 

Because  o'  power  and  pay  0  ! 
Quo'  he,  "  Yer  tail  is  cockit  heigh. 

But  ilka  dog  has  his  day  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &o. 

*  '  Many.' 


222  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

He  saw  some  ministers  fighting  hard, 

And  a'  frae  a  bit  o'  pride  0  ! 
"  It's  a  pity,"  quo'  he,  "  when  dogs  fa'  out 
Aboot  their  ain  fireside  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &c. 

He  saw  a  man  gaxin  staggerin'  hame, 
Btts  face  baith  black  and  blue  0  ! 

Quo'  he,  "I'm  ashamed  o'  the  stupid  brute. 
For  never  a  dog  gets  fou'  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &c. 

He  saw  a  man  wi'  a  hairy  face, 
Wi'  beard  and  big  moustache  0  I 

Quo'  he,  "  We  baith  are  towsy  dogs, 
But  ye  hae  claes  and  cash  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &c. 

He  saw  a  crowd  in  a  bonny  park. 
Where  dogs  were  not  allowed  0  ! 

Quo'  he,  "  The  rats  in  Kirk  and  State, 
If  we  were  there  might  rue't  0  !  " 

The  waggin,'  &c. 

He  saw  a  man  that  fleeched  *  a  lord, 
And  liatterin'  lees  did  tell  0  ! 

Quo'  he,  "A  dog's  owre  proud  for  that. 
He'll  only  claw  himsel'  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &c. 

He  saw  a  doctor  drivin'  about. 

An'  ringing  every  bell  0  ! 
Quo'  he,  "  I've  been  as  sick's  a  dog, 

But  I  aye  could  cure  mysel'  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &o. 

He  heard  a  lad  and  leddie  braw 

Singin'  a  grand  duet  0  ! 
Quo'  he,  "  I've  heard  a  cat  and  dog 

Could  yowl  as  weel  as  that  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &0. 

He  saw  a  laddie  swaggerin'  big 
Frae  tap  to  tae  sae  trim  0  ! 

Quo'  he,  "It's  no'  for  a  dog  to  laugh 
That  ance  was  a  pup  like  him  0  !  " 

The  waggin',  &0. 

Our  doggie  ho  cam'  hame  at  e'en. 
And  scarted  baith  his  lugs  O  ! 

Quo'  he,  "  If  folk  had  only  tails. 

They'd  be  maist  as  gude  as  dogs  0  !  " 
The  waggin',  &o. 

*  'Flattered.' 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  223 

Another  of  his  favourite  songs  was  one  which  he 
composed  while  on  a  visit  to  a  friend  in  Ayrshire, 
who  was  an  enthusiastic  curler.  Norman,  who  never 
even  attempted  to  curl,  heartily  enjoyed  the  exciting 
scene  on  the  ice,  and  the  keenness  displayed  by 
'tenant  and  laird'  as  they  strove  together  for  the 
honours  of  the  '  roaring  game ' : — 

CUELING  SONG.* 

Air. — "  Gome  under  my  plaidie." 

A'  nicM  it  was  freeziu',  a'  nicht  I  was  sueezin', 

"  Tak'  care,"  quo'  the  wife,  "  Gudemau,  o'  yer  cough." 
A  fig  for  the  sneozin',  hurrah  for  the  freezin'. 

For  the  day  we're  to  play  the  Bonspiel  on  the  loch  ! 
Then  get  up,  my  braw  leddy,  the  breakfast  mak'  readj', 

For  the  sun  on  the  snaw  drift's  beginniu'  to  blink, 
Gie  me  bannocks  or  brochan,  I'm  all"  to  the  lochan, 
To  mak'  the  stanes  flee  to  the  '  T  '  o'  the  rink. 

Then  hurrah  for  the  curling  frae  Girvan  to  Stirling  ! 

Hurrah  for  the  lads  o'  the  besom  and  stane  ! 
Eeady  noo  !    Soop  it  up  !     Clap  a  guard  !    Steady  noo ! 
Oh  curling  abune  a'  the  games,  stands  alane. 

The  ice  it  is  splendid,  it  canna  be  mended, 

Like  a  glass  ye  can  glowr  in't  an'  shave  aff  yer  beard  ; 
And  see  how  they  gaither,  cumin'  owre  the  brown  heather, 

The  master  and  servants,  the  tenant  and  laird. 
There's  braw  J.  0.  Fairlie,  he's  there  late  and  early, 

Better  curlers  than  he  or  Hugh  Conn  canna  be  ; 
Wi'  the  lads  frae  Kilwinnin',  they'll  send  the  stanes  spinnin,' 

Wi'  a  whurr  and  a  cutr,  till  they  sit  roun'  the  '  T.' 

Then  hurrah  for  the  curling,  &c. 

It's  an  unco'  like  story,  that  baith  Whig  and  Tory, 

Maun  aye  collyshangy,t  like  dogs  owre  a  bane, 
An'  that  a'  denominations  are  wantin'  in  patience, 

For  nae  Kirk  will  thole  '^  to  let  ithers  alane. 
But  in  fine  fx'osty  weather,  let  a'  meet  thegither, 

Wi'  brooms  in  their  hauns,  an'  a  stane  near  the  '  T  * ; 
Then  Ha !  Ha  !  by  my  certies,  ye'll  see  hoo  a'  parties 

Like  brithers  will  love,  and  like  brithers  agree  ! 

Then  hurrah  for  the  curlin' ,  &c. 

*  This  song  was  afterwards  published  m  Blachivood's  Magazine. 
t  '  Quarrel.'  |  '  Endure.' 


22+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

His  way  of  training  his  children  was  a  practical 
illustration  of  the  teaching  given  to  parents  in  his 
'  Home  School.'  The  key-note  of  it  all  was  loving 
companionship.  He  was  bo  much  in  sympathy  with 
them  that  he  seemed  to  grow  with  their  growth  from 
their  earliest  years.  When  he  was  worn  out  with  study 
his  resort  was  the  nursery,  where  he  would  invent  all 
sorts  of  games,  tui'n  chairs  upside  down  to  represent 
ships,  rig  up  newspapers  as  mimic  sails,  and  give 
the  baby  an  imaginary  voyage  round  the  room.  Or 
he  would  in  the  evenings  lie  on  the  sofa  or  floor,  with 
all  the  little  ones  nestled  about  him,  listening  to 
music,  or  telling  them  the  wonderful  adventures  of 
'  Little  Mrs.  Brown '  and  '  Abel  Feragus.'  These 
stories  went  on  like  the  Arabian  Nights,  with  new 
incidents  invented  for  each  fresh  occasion.  They 
were  all  told  di-amatically,  and  often  the  fun  was 
so  great  that  he  would  himself  laugh  as  heartily 
as  the  children.  But  he  had  a  higher  object  in 
view  than  mere  amusement  when  composing  his 
nursery  tales;  they  were  never  without  an  under- 
current of  moral  teaching,  and  never  failed  to 
impress  lessons  of  kindness,  generosity,  bravery,  and 
truth. 

He  never  left  home  for  any  length  of  time  without 
bringing  some  little  memento  to  each  child,  and  to 
each  servant  as  well. 

Carrying  out  this  principle  of  companionship  with 
his  children,  he  would  watch  for  their  return  when 
they  had  been  at  any  holiday  entertainment,  and 
have  them  '  tell  from  the  begiiming '  all  they  had 
seen  and  heard.      "When  in    the   Highlands  dui-iiig 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS,  ir% 

Slimmer,  he  entered  like  one  of  themselves  into  all 
their  amusements.  They  rememher  with  special 
delight  one  moonlight  night,  when,  sciatica  not- 
withstanding, he  insisted  on  playing  '  Hide  and  Seek ' 
with  them,  and  became  so  excited  with  the  game, 
that  although  both  shoes  had  fallen  off,  he  continued 
rushing  over  the  grass  and  thi'ough  the  bushes  till 
they  were  all  exhausted,  his  wife  in  vain  entreating 
him  to  take  care.  His  desire  was,  in  short,  to 
possess  their  frank  confidence,  and  to  make  their 
memory  of  home  thoroughly  happy,  and  in  both  these 
respects  his  efforts  were  rewarded  with  abundant 
success.  It  was  quite  characteristic  of  him  that  he 
made  it  a  principle  always  to  keep  his  word  with  his 
children,  even  in  trifles,  and  to  avoid  the  iiTitation  of 
fault-finding  in  little  things.  Only  on  two  points  was 
he  uncompromising  even  to  sternness.  The  slightest 
appearance  of  selfishness  or  of  want  of  truth  was  at 
once  severely  dealt  with ;  but  when  the  rebuke  was 
given,  there  was  an  end  of  it,  and  he  took  pains  to 
make  the  culprit  feel  that  confidence  was  completely 
restored,  for  he  believed  that  the  preservation  of  self- 
respect  was  as  important  a  point  as  any  in  the  educa- 
tion of  a  child. 

These  summers,  spent  with  his  family  in  the  High- 
lands, were  full  of  a  glory  which  every  year  seemed 
only  to  deepen.  Whether  at  his  favourite  Cuilchenna, 
on  the  Linnhe  Loch  with  its  majestic  views  of  Glencoe 
or  Glengoar,  or  at  Java  Lodge  in  Mull,  commanding 
'  one  of  the  finest  panoramas  in  Europe,'  or  at  Aird's 
Bay,  fronting  the  Buachaill  Etive  and  Ben  Cruachan, 
or  at  Geddes,  with  its  hallowed  associations,  he  entered 

VOL.    II.  Q 


226  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

into  the  joy  of  nature  with  a  rapture  even  greater  than 
in  youth. 

He  thus  describes  the  scenery  round  Cuilchenna : — 

"  Suppose  ourselves  seated  on  a  green  headland,  rising 
a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  sea-level.  In  itself  this 
elevation  is  remarkable  for  nothing  more  than  the  greenest 
of  grass  ;  consequently,  in  the  estimation  of  the  shej)herd, 
it  is  one  of  the  '  best  places  for  wintering  sheep  ; '  and  it  is 
the  more  fitted  for  such  a  purpose  owing  to  its  being  broken 
up  by  innumerable  hollows  and  dykes  of  trap,  which 
afford  shelter  to  the  sheep  from  every  Avind.  Moreover 
the  snow  seldom  lies  here,  as  it  is  speedily  thawed  by  the 
breath  of  the  temperate  sea.  It  has  its  own  secluded 
spots  of  Highland  beauty,  too,  though  these  are  seldom, 
if  ever,  visited  by  any  one  save  the  solitary  herd-boy.  In 
these  nooks,  nature,  as  if  rejoicing  in  the  undisturbed 
contemplation  of  her  own  grace  and  loveliness,  lavishly 
grows  her  wild  flowers  and  spreads  out  her  drooping  ferns. 
Nay,  she  seems  unconsciously  to  adorn  herself  with  tufts 
of  primroses,  bluebells,  and  crimson  heather,  and  slyly 
retires  into  little  recesses,  to  enter  which  one  has  to  put 
aside  the  branches  of  mountain  ash  clothed  with  bunches 
of  coral  fruit,  as  well  as  the  weeping  birch  and  hazel,  in 
order  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  rivulet  which  %vliislies 
between  banks  glorious  with  green  mosses,  Hchens,  ferns, 
honeysuckle,  and  wild  roses.  In  the  spring  such  recesses 
are  a  very  home  of  love  for  piping  birds.  At  the  base  of 
our  unknown,  untrodden  promontory,  are  clefts  and  caves, 
worn  and  cut  into  the  strangest  shapes  by  the  everlast- 
ing beat  of  the  ocean  tides.  In  each  round  rocky  bowl, 
filled  with  pure  sea-Avater,  is  a  forest  of  fairy-like  trees 
of  all  colours,  strangely  mingled  —  brown,  green,  and 
white.  Molluscs,  and  fish  almost  microscoj)ic,  together 
with  a  solitary  crab  here  and  there,  move  about  in  this 
their  little  Avorld  of  beauty,  in  which,  to  the  observer, 
there  seems  indeed  to  be  nothing  but  purity  and  joy. 

"  But  the  grand  and  commanding  object  at  the  head  of 
Loch  Leven  is  Glencoe.  Seen  from  our  promontory,  its 
precipices  rise  hke  a  huge  wall,  dark  as  though  built  of 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS. 


227 


lava.  Tremendous  buttresses,  from  base  to  summit,  dis- 
engage themselves  from  their  surface,  and  separated  from 
each  other  by  depths  such  as  might  have  been  cut  and 
cloven  by  Thor's  great  hammer,  wielded  in  stormy  passion. 
The  mountain  is  scored  across,  too,  by  deep  lines  and 
platforms  of  trap,  as  though  they  marked  the  successive 
floods  of  molten  rock  poured  out  by  volcanic  forces. 
Nothing  can  be  more  utterly  sombre,  sad,  and  desolate 
than  this  Glencoe.  We  have  watched  it  in  its  every  mood  ; 
sometimes  when  it  seemed  to  sleep  like  a  wearied  giant, 
wrapped  in  the  sun-mist ;  sometimes  when  it  began  to 
arrest  the  western  clouds,  until,  as  if  overcome  by  their 
stifling  power,  they  covered  it  with  impenetrable  masses 
black  as  night ;  or,  again,  when  slowly  and  solemnly  it 
unveiled  itself  after  the  storm,  and  the  sun  crept  up  to  it, 
after  visiting  the  green  fields  and  trees  below,  and  pouring 
itself  on  white  cottages  and  the  sails  of  fishing-boats,  until 
at  last  it  scattered  the  clouds  from  the  dark  precipices 
and  sent  the  mists  flying — not  fiercely  but  kindly,  not 
hastily  but  slowly — in  white  smoke  up  the  glens,  tinging 
with  auroral  light  the  dark  ridge  as  they  streamed  over 
it,  while  the  infinite  sky  appeared  without  a  cloud  over 
all,  and  as  if  sujiported  by  the  mighty  pillars  of  the  glen. 

"  Turning  to  the  east  the  scene  is  still  characteristic  of 
our  Highlands.  To  right  and  left,  to  north  and  south,  is 
the  sea-river  of  which  we  have  spoken.  Southward,  it 
flows  past  the  green  Lismore,  on  past  Oban,  Mull,  until  it 
is  lost  betAveen  misty  headlands  in  the  far  Atlantic,  whose 
waves  boom  on  the  western  steeps  of  Jura. 

"  The  scenery  to  the  west,  which  hems  in  this  stretch 
of  inland  sea,  is  utterly  desolate. 

"  .  .  .  .  Amidst  this  scenery  we  spent  a  considerable 
portion  of  last  summer,  and  gazed  on  it  from  day  to  day, 
and  from  morn  to  even,  with  delight  and  reverence.  We 
have  fished  along  its  sea-coast  almost  every  evening. 

"  What  unsurpassed  glories  have  we  thus  witnessed  ! 
It  verily  seemed  to  us  then  as  though  the  setting  sun 
dropped  down  nearer  earth  to  concentrate  all  his  powers 
on  that  one  landscape ;  to  display  untold  beauty  and 
adorn  it  with  glory  from  the  head   of  the  western  glen 

Q  2 


2x8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

above  the  loch  down  to  the  sea  ;  and  compelling  even 
dark  Glencoe,  as  well  as  the  surrounding  hills,  to  do  it 
honour  and  bow  before  it  with  their  golden  cro^v^ls  and 
purple  robes.  First  of  all,  the  sun  began  to  collect  round 
himself  clouds  spread  out  into  seas,  grouped  into  islets, 
with  colours  such  as  no  pen  or  pencil  has  ever  conveyed 
the  faintest  impression  of.  Then  beams  of  soft  silver 
sheen  shot  through  every  crossing  valley  and  down 
through  every  cleft  and  cranny  in  the  serrated  ridges, 
ponetrating  the  nether  dimness,  illuminating  the  curling 
smoke  of  the  valleys,  and  transfiguring  the  dark  pines 
and  precipices,  and  lighting  up  hidden  corners.  It 
touched  the  green  pastures  of  the  shores  of  Loch  Leven 
as  with  a  magic  rod ;  it  kindled  the  mountain  ridges  to 
the  east,  so  that  these,  after  all  the  lower  valleys  were 
dark,  retained  the  light  of  day.  Having  glorified  Glencoe 
from  base  to  summit,  it  concentrated  its  beams,  ere 
parting,  on  the  loftiest  peaks,  until  they  shone  in  a 
subdued  ruby  light,  and  then  they  were  tipped  with  such 
bright  burnished  gold  as  is  never  seen  anywhere  except  on 
the  icy  aiguilles  of  the  Alps.  Gradually  the  halo  seemed 
to  pass  from  earth  to  heaven,  and  lingered  for  a  space 
among  the  clouds  with  that  splendour  and  wonder  of 
glory  so  overpowering  yet  so  variable — a  revelation  of  the 
Almighty  Artist,  wLich,  once  seen,  remains  a  precious  gift 
stored  in  the  memory,  never  to  fade  away  ! 

"  On  these  evenings  the  marvel  nearest  to  the  eye  was 
the  appearance  of  the  sea !  It  was  wholly  indescribable. 
But  merely  to  mention  it  will  recall  similar  spectacles  to 
others.  The  waves  undulated  in  gentle  swell  with  a 
heavy,  dull  molten  hue.  Save  for  the  movements  of 
flocks  of  birds,  which  swam  and  dived  wherever  the 
shoals  of  fish  disturbed  its  glassy  surface,  it  seemed  cold 
and  dead.  But  as  the  setting  sun  began  to  kindle  its 
waves  with  subdued  lights,  aided  by  glowing  cloud  and 
mountain  of  every  imaginable  hue,  there  spread  over  the 
wide  expanse  of  still  water  such  a  combination  of  colours 
— ruby,  amethyst,  purple,  blue,  green,  and  grey — gleam- 
ing, sparkling,  and  interchanging  like  the  Aurora,  until 
every  gentle    undulation    was    more    gorgeous    than    the 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  429 

robes  of  Eastern  kings,  when  unrolled  from  the  looms  of 
Benares!  "* 

These  scenes  afforded  him  more  than  'tranquil 
restoration ; '  they  were  a  continual  '  passion  and 
delight.'  And  the  joy  they  conveyed  to  him  he  tried 
to  share  with  his  children,  in  this,  as  in  so  many  other 
things,  evincing  his  eagerness  to  recreate  for  them 
the  same  Highland  associations  as  had  made  his  own 
early  days  so  happy,  l^one  of  his  boys  showed  more 
excitement  than  he  when  they  were  out  fishing  on  the 
loch,  and  when  there  happened  to  be  a  good  '  take.' 
On  the  croquet  green,  competing  with  his  children,  he 
was  the  keenest  of  the  party.  When  a  chance  piper 
arrived,  and  the  floor  was  cleared  for  a  reel,  he  heartily 
enjoyed  and  cheerily  applauded  the  merriment  of  the 
dancers.  What  he  felt  at  such  times  he  has  thus 
expressed : — 

•*  '  Dance,  my  cliildren  !  lads  and  lasses  1 
Cut  and  shuffle,  toes  and  heels  I 
Piper,  roar  from  every  chanter 
Hui-ricanes  of  Highland  reels  1 

** '  Make  the  old  barn  shake  with  laughter, 
Beat  its  flooring  like  a  drum ; 
Batter  it  with  TuUochgorum, 
Till  the  storm  without  is  dumb  1 

•' '  Sweep  in  circles  like  a  whirlwind, 
Flit  across  like  meteors  glancing ; 
Crack  your  fingers,  shout  in  gladness, 
Think  of  nothing  but  of  dancing  1 ' 

**  Thus  a  grey-haired  father  speaketh, 
As  he  claps  his  hand  and  cheers ; 
Yet  his  heart  is  quietly  dreaming, 
And  his  eyes  are  dimmed  with  tears. 

*  From  an  Essay  on  Highland  Scenery  which  he  wrote  for  a  volume, 
published  at  her  Majesty's  desire,  illustrative  of  "Mountain,  Loch, 
and  Glen." 


sjo  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

•'  Well  he  knows  this  •world  of  sorrow, 
Well  he  knows  this  world  of  sin, 
Well  he  knows  the  race  before  them. 
What's  to  lose,  and  what's  to  win  ! 

*'  But  he  hears  a  far  off  music, 

Guiding  all  the  stately  spheres, 
In  his  father-heart  it  echoes, 

So  he  claps  his  hands  and  cheers.** 

This  participation  in  the  amusements  of  liis  children 
passed  naturally,  as  they  grew  older,  into  tlie  higher 
companionship  of  sharing  all  their  pursuits  and  studies. 
His  method  of  conveying  to  them  religious  instruction 
was  as  effective  as  it  was  simple.  He  trained  them  to 
speak  to  him  on  religious  subjects,  and  tell  him  their 
difficulties,  and  so  educated  them  in  the  truest  sense. 
Especially  in  later  years,  when  his  Sunday  evenings 
were  not  so  fully  occupied  with  public  duty,  he  spent 
hours  that  were  as  happy  to  them  as  to  himself,  in 
hearing  what  they  had  to  say,  while  some  part  of 
Scripture  was  read  in  common.  However  trivial  the 
idea  or  the  difficulty  of  the  child  might  seem  to 
others,  he  always  dealt  carefully  with  it,  and  tried  by 
means  of  it  to  impress  some  principle  which  was  worth 
remembering.  'When  I  asked  him  about  anything 
I  did  not  understand,'  writes  one  of  his  daughters, 
'  my  dear  father  would  say,  *  That's  right.  On  your 
way  tln-ough  life  you'll  come  across  many  a  stum- 
bling-block that  you  will  think  quite  impassable,  but 
always  come  to  your  father,  for  he's  an  old  traveller 
who  can  show  you  a  path  through  many  a  difficulty.' 
I  treasure  what  he  said  to  me  when  I  spoke  to  him 
about  some  fault  of  natural  temperament.  ^  Don't 
bo  discouraged.  It  involves  in  many  ways  a  benefit. 
The   cure   is   to  think   more  about   God.      Look  at 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  231 

yourself  as  much  as  you  can  as  you  think  He 
would  look  at  you,  and  look  on  others  in  the  same 
way.'  Oh  that  I  were  like  him  !  Such  trust,  such 
love,  such  utter  forgetfulness  of  self,  such  sympathy 
and  charity  and  energy  !  Surely  these  things  are 
born  with  people,  and  not  acquirements.  Yet  he  once 
said  to  me,  '  You  have  no  right  to  blame  your  natural 
disposition.  By  so  doing  you  blame  God  who  gave  it 
to  you.     ]^o  quality  is  bad  unless  perverted.' 

There  was  a  characteristic  of  his  later  life  which 
was  the  more  remarkable  that  his  youth  gave  no 
promise  of  it.  He  was  naturally  impatient  of  details, 
careless  about  hours  and  arrangements,  hurried  and 
impulsive,  but  experience  taught  him  the  importance 
of  punctuality  and  forethought,  and  in  later  years  his 
attention  to  minutise,  and  the  careful  and  businesslike 
manner  in  which  he  fulfilled  his  public  engage- 
ments, surprised  those  who  had  known  him  with 
other  habits. 

His  later  manner  of  preaching  differed  from  his 
earlier,  and  as  a  rule,  admitting  many  exceptions, 
partook  more  of  the  nature  of  teaching — sometimes 
of  homely  talk — than  of  set  discourse.  Simplicity 
was  its  constant  characteristic,  but  there  was  more ; 
for  ever  and  anon  came  bursts  of  indignant  denun- 
ciation against  what  was  mean  or  selfish,  or  brief  bufc 
thrilling  touches  of  imagination  or  pathos  that  broke 
the  even  flow  of  instruction.  '  His  style  reminds 
me,'  said  an  auditor,  who  was  himself  a  celebrated 
preacher,  '  of  the  smooth  action  of  a  large  engine, 
moving  with  the  ease  of  great  power  held  in  re- 
straint.'    '  It  was  not,'  says  another  hearer,  '  so  much 


2)1  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

what  is  called  earnest  preaching,  as  the  speaking  of 
a  powerful  and  earnest  man  who  wished  to  do  you 
good,  and  threw  everything  else  aside  for  that  end.' 

"  I  fiin  persuaded  we  will  all  acknowledge  that  we  never 
listened  to  any  man  whose  word  came  so  home  to  the 
heart.  For  myself,  at  least,  I  can  say  that  no  preacher 
ever  had  such  power  over  me  ;  nor  was  the  secret  of  his 
power  hard  to  discover.  .  .  .  That  which  told  more 
than  all  upon  me  was  the  total  absence  of  all  thought  of 
self  which  characterised  his  preaching.  While  listening 
to  him,  the  thought  never  crossed  my  mind  that  he  had 
been  maJcing  a  sermon.  Whether  composed  in  his  study, 
or  left,  as  was  so  often  the  case,  to  such  language  as  the 
impulse  of  the  moment  might  suggest,  his  sermons  always 
appeared  to  me  of  a  purely  extemporaneous  character  ; 
because  whether  wholly  or  partially  written,  or  not  written 
at  all,  they  were  the  spontaneous  outflowing  of  his  heart 
at  the  moment,  with  no  more  art  or  effort  than  what  is 
seen  in  the  natural  rush  of  one  of  his  own  loved  Hisrhland 
rivers ;  clear,  and  deep,  and  strong  as  they,  but  with  as 
little  consciousniiss  of  any  private  aim,  or  any  desire  to 
gratify  a  selfish  feeling  or  to  win  human  praise."  * 

"  Other  preachers  we  have  heard,"  wrote  Dean  Stanley 
in  the  Times,  "  both  in  England  and  France,  more  learned, 
more  eloquent,  more  jjenetrating  to  particular  audiences, 
but  no  preacher  has  arisen  Avithin  our  experience,  with  an 
equal  power  of  riveting  the  general  attention  of  the  varied 
congregations  of  modern  times  ....  none  who  so  com- 
bined the  self-control  of  the  prepared  discourse  with  the 
directness  of  extemporaneous  effort  ;  none  with  whom  the 
sermon  appproached  so  nearly  to  its  original  and  proper 
idea — of  a  conversation — a  serious  conversation,  in  which 
the  fleeting  thought,  the  unconscious  objection  of  the 
listener,  seemed  to  be  readily  caught  up  by  a  passing 
parenthesis — a  qualifying  word  of  the   speaker  ;  so   that, 

•  From  a  sermon  entitled  "  The  Hearer's  Responsibility,"  preached 
in  the  Barony  Churcli  on  the  12th  January,  1873,  by  the  Hev.  William 
Robertsfm,  D.D.,  of  New  Greyfriars,  Edinburgh,  on  the  occasion  of 
hib  iulroducing  the  liev.  Dr.  Lang  as  Buccessor  to  Dr.  Macleod. 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  233 

in  short,  the  speaker  seemed  to  throw  himself  with  the 
whole  force  of  his  soul  on  the  minds  of  his  hearers,  led 
captive  against  their  will  by  something  more  than  elo- 
quence." 

Although  at  one  period  he  occasionally  wrote  his 
sermon  seven  times  over  before  he  preached  it,  there 
were  years  during  which  he  seldom  wrote  any  dis- 
course fully  out.*  but  preached  from  notes  in  which 
the  sequence  of  ideas  was  clearly  marked.  These 
notes,  though  often  jotted  on  Saturday  afternoon,  were 
the  result  of  constant  cogitation  during  the  week. 

As  might  have  been  expected  from  his  tempera- 
ment, he  was  deeply  interested  in  the  movements  of 
modern  thought.  As  he  had  long  forecast  the  coming 
storm  in  the  theological  atmosphere,  he  was  not  taken 
aback  by  its  approach,  and,  in  order  that  his  hearers 
should  be  prepared  for  it,  he  was  in  the  habit  of 
enforcing  guiding  principles,  rather  than  of  discussing 
special  questions.  The  ground  which  he  generally 
took  was  moral  more  than  intellectual.  Without 
ignoring  the  issues  raised  by  modern  inquiry,  he 
sought,  as  the  ultimate  basis  of  religious  conviction, 
to  appeal  to  the  moral  instincts,  and  to  reach  that 
spirit  in  man,  which  he  believed  is  bound  to  recognize 
the  spiritual  glory  of  God  on  the  face  of  Christ,  as 
much  as  intellect  is  bound  to  confess  the  conclusions 

•  Ee  was  once  preacliing  in  a  district  in  AyrsHre,  where  the  read- 
ing of  a  sermon  is  regarded  as  the  greatest  fault  of  ■which  a  minister 
can  be  guilty.  When  the  congregation  disi^ersed,  an  old  woman 
overflowing  with  enthusiasm,  addressed  her  neighbour,  "  Did  ye  ever 
hear  onything  sae  gran'?  Was  na  that  a  sermon  "r"  But  all  her 
expressions  of  admiration  being  met  by  stolid  silence,  she  shouted, 
"  Speak,  woman  !  Was  na  that  a  sermon  ?  "  "  Ou  aye,"  replied  her 
friend  sulkily,  "but  be  read  it."  "  Eead  it!"  said  the  other  with, 
indignant  emphasis,  "  I  wadna  hae  cared  if  he  had  whusiled  it ! " 


23+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

of  reason.  lie  clung  with  such  firm  faith  to  Christ, 
and  loved  God  with  such  fulness  of  childlike  affec- 
tion ;  holy  Scripture  was  to  him  so  verily  the  Word 
of  God  ;  and  its  salient  truths  were  so  self-evident  to 
his  heart  and  conscience,  that  no  verbal  criticism,  no 
logic  of  the  lower  understanding,  could  for  a  moment 
shake  his  loyalty  to  the  eternal  fitness  of  the  revelation 
of  love  and  holiness  in  Christ  which  was  self-evident 
to  his  spirit.  But  while  he  was  thus  firmly 
anchored  to  essential  catholic  beliefs,  he  *  could  SAving 
with  a  free  cable,'  as  he  used  to  say,  in  reference  to 
many  minor  questions.  For  that  hard  negative  criti- 
cism, whose  only  instrument  is  keen  or  coarse  intel- 
lect, and  which  is  prepared  with  callous  determination. 
to  deny  whatever  cannot  be  logically  demonstrated, 
he  had  no  liking.  He  was  too  sympathetic  not  to  be 
deeply  afi"ected  by  the  religious  doubts  and  difficulties 
which  were  pressing  as  a  heavy  burden  on  many, 
who  in  utter  perplexity  were  crying  for  light.  But 
some  of  the  theories  of  modern  critics,  some  of  the 
most  portentous  attacks  on  the  faith,  provoked  his 
sense  of  humour  more  than  his  alarm.  'The  devil 
is  far  too  clever,'  he  would  say,  '  not  to  be  intensely 
amused  at  all  this.  What  frightful  fools  those  men 
must  seem  to  him !  Can  you  not  imagine  how 
Mcphisto,  when  he  is  alone,  must  chuckle  at  the 
absurdities  of  which  clever  men  can  be  guilty  ? ' 

His  manner  of  treating  doubters  was  powerful  and 
sympathetic.  After  one  or  two  straight  cuts  of  com- 
mon sense  or  humour  had  sundered  the  meshes  of 
sophistical  argumentation,  he  would  carry  his  auditors 
away  from  doubtful  disputations,  into  the  wide  pure 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  235 

heaven  of  his  own  convictions  and  aspirations,  appeal 
to  what  was  most  human  in  them,  enlist  every  better 
sympathy  on  his  side,  and  flash  light  into  the 
mysterious  depths  of  conscience.  Many  a  man  heset 
by  difficulty  on  '  questions  of  the  day,'  came  away 
from  his  teaching,  not  perhaps  feeling  every  doubt 
removed,  but  under  the  sense  that  truths  had  been 
spoken  which  '  could  perish  never,'  and  that  convic- 
tions had  been  awakened  which  no  chatter  of  the 
schools  could  destroy. 

Ilis  frequent  lamentations  over  that  deficiency  in 
pastoral  work,  which  was  forced  on  him  in  later  years 
by  the  pressure  of  public  duty,  may  convey  a  false 
impression  of  the  extent  to  which  this  held  true.  It 
was  certainly  impossible  for  him  to  visit  his  congre- 
gation as  he  once  did,  but  the  sick  and  distressed 
were  never  forgotten  by  him ;  and  those  who  knew 
anything  of  his  ministry  at  such  times  bear  witness 
to  the  wonderful  tenderness  of  his  sympathy,  and 
delight  to  tell  how  his  eye  would  swim  with  tears,  and 
how  the  minutest  circumstance  of  each  case  was  atten- 
tively considered  by  him.  His  power,  indeed,  out  of 
the  pulpit  as  well  as  in  it,  lay  in  that  genuine  big- 
heartedness  which  everywhere  claimed  and  inspired 
confidence. 

"  I  write  as  one  who  knows,  whose  own  burden  has  been 
made  easier  by  him,  as  one  around  whom  his  arms  have 
been,  and  on  whose  cheek  the  kiss  of  his  deep  sympathy 
has  fallen.  Few,  indeed,  who  knew  him  only  as  the 
genial  companion,  the  ready  platform  speaker,  or  the 
powerful  preacher,  can,  even  remotely,  conceive  of  the  way 
he  had  of  talking  to,  and  acting  upon,  human  hearts,  xvhen 
alone  with  them.     It  was  then  that  the  glory  of  the  man 


236  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

came  out ;  then  3'ou  knew  with  what  a  vision  he  saw  into 
you  and  comprehended  you  ;  then  he  spoke  words  that 
went  straicfht  into  your  soul,  and  carried  healing  with 
them,  for  he  never  kept  you  down  to  himself,  but  took 
you  up  with  himself  to  the  Father.  I  cannot  say  what  is 
in  my  heart  to  say,  but  this  one  thing  I  would  like  all  who 
have  never  been  alone  with  him  when  spiritual  things 
were  spoken  about,  to  beheve  and  know,  that  he  was  a 
grander,  broader,  deeper,  diviner  man  than  he  could  ever 
have  appeared  to  you  to  be.  Nearly  thirteen  years  ago, 
as  a  young  lad,  a  stranger  to  this  country,  I  first  met  him, 
and  from  that  hour  his  great  heart,  which  ahvays  warmed 
to  the  stranger,  was  ever  ready  to  open,  and  his  kindly 
hand  to  help.  When  I  went  abroad  to  engage  in  the 
work  which  lay  nearest  his  own  heart,  it  was  with  no 
formal  prayer  that  we  parted,  but  one  ever  to  be  remem- 
bered ;  with  no  formal  farewell  of  a  formal  divine,  but 
with  a  loving  embrace  ;  and  when  I  returned,  most  unwil- 
lingly, but  through  necessity,  the  same  arms  were  ready 
to  welcome  me.  This  is  not  the  way  unknown  men  are 
wont  to  be  dealt  with  by  known  men  ;  young  men  by  old ; 
men  feebly  struggling,  or  baffled  and  beaten,  by  those  who 
are  secure  on  the  platform  of  life :  but  it  is  the  way  to 
win  souls,  for  all  that,  and  it  was  the  way  in  which  he 
won  many."* 

"  His  power  of  sympathy,"  said  Dr.  Watson,  in  his 
beautiful  funeral  sermon,  "  was   the  first   and  last  thing  in 

his  character  which  impressed  you I  never  knew 

a  man  bound  to  humanity  at  so  many  points  ;  I  never 
knew  a  man  who  found  in  humanity  so  much  to  interest 
him.  To  him  the  most  commonplace  man  or  woman 
yielded  up  some  contribution  of  individuahty,  and  you 
v;ere  tempted  to  Avonder  which  of  all  the  various  moods 
through  which  he  passed,  was  the  one  most  congenial  to 
him, 

"  '  When  he  came  to  see  me,'  said  a  blacksmith,  '  he 
Bpoke  as  if  he  had  been  a  smith  himself,  but  he  never 
went  away  without  leaving  Christ  in  my  heart ! '  " 


•  Letter  from  the  Eov.  C.  M.  Grant. 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  237 

To  his  eldest  Son  wlien  he  was  a  very  young  boy  on  a  visit  to  Piunary, 
Tlie  original  is  carefully  written  in  large  Eoman  letters : — 

Glasgow,  August  4,  1862. 

"  I  am  so  glad  yoii  are  in  Morven,  and  so  tappy  there. 
I  never  was  so  happy  in  all  my  life  as  I  used  to  be  when 
I  was  a  boy  there.  I  think  of  you  as  if  you  were  myself 
young  again.  For  I  fished  with  Sandy  and  uncle  John 
for  cod  among  the  rocks  in  the  bay,  and  in  the  burn 
for  trout,  and  went  to  the  Byre  for  warm  milk,  just  as  you 
are  doing.  But  then  all  the  old  terriers  are  dead.  There 
were  Cuilag  and  Gasgach — oh,  such  dogs  !  If  you  saw 
them  worry  an  otter  or  wild  cat  !  They  would  never  give 
in.  Ask  your  uncle  John  about  them,  and  ask  him  to 
show  you  the  otter's  den  at  Clachoran.  Oh,  Nommey,  be 
happy !  for  when  you  are  old  like  me  you  will  remember 
Fiunary  as  if  it  was  the  garden  of  Eden  without  the 
serpent. 

"  I  wish  you  could  remember,  as  I  can,  all  the  dear 
friends  who  were  once  there,  and  who  would  have  loved 
you  as  as  they  loved  me — my  grandpapa,  with  his  white 
hair  and  blind  eyes,  and  my  grandmamma,  so  kind  and 
loving ;  and  aunts  Margaret,  Mary,  Grace,  Archy,  Jessy. 
I  see  all  their  faces  now  before  me.  They  were  all  so 
good,  and  loved  God  and  everybody.  Dockie,  dear !  thank 
God  for  good  friends,  and  for  having  so  many  of  them. 

"  Did  they  show  you  Avhere  I  lived  when  I  was  a  boy, 
and  the  school  I  used  to  be  in  1  " 

To  his  eldest  Daughter,  when  she  went  to  school  at  Brighton  :— 

Glasgow,  April  30,  1865. 

"  Do  you  remember  your  old  father  ?  I'm  not  sure  if 
you  do — old  Abel  Feragus,  the  friend  of  Mrs.  Brown  ? 

"  So  you  were  very  sorry,  old  girl,  when  we  left  you 
that  day  ?  You  thought  you  would  not  care.  Hem !  I 
knew  better. 

"  And  so  the  poor  lassie  cried,  and  was  so  lonely  the 
first  night,  and  would  have  given  worlds  to  be  at  home 
again  !  And  your  old  dad  was  not  a  bit  sorry  to  leave 
you,   not  he — cruel-liearted  man  that   he  is  !      Nor  was 


238  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

your  motlior,  wretched  old  woman  that  she  is!  And 'yet 
'  you  would  wonder '  how  sorry  we  both  were,  and  how  often 
the  old  man  said  '  Poor  dear  lassie  ! '  and  the  old  wife 
'  Poor  dear  darling  ! '  But  no  tear  filled  our  eye.  Are 
you  sure  of  that  ?  I'm  not.  And  the  old  father  said, 
'  I'm  not  afraid  of  my  girl.  I'm  sure  she  Avill  prove 
herself  good,  kind,  loving,  and  obedient,  and  M'on't  be 
lazy,  but  do  her  work  like  a  heroine,  and  remember  all 
her  old  dad  told  her  !  '  and  her  mammy  said  the  same. 
And  then  the  mammy  would  cry,  and  the  old  dad  would 
call  her  a  fool  (respectfully).  And  so  we  reached  London, 
and  then  we  got  your  letter,  which  made  us  very  happy  ; 
and  then  the  old  man  said,  '  Never  fear !   she  will  do  right 

well,  and  will  be  very  happy,  and  Miss Avill  like  her, 

and  she  will  like   ^liss ! '  and  '  We  shall  soon  meet 

again  ! '  chimed  in  the  mammy.  '  If  it  be  God's  will, 
we  shall,'  said  the  dad,  '  and  won't  we  be  happy  ! ' 

"  God  bless  you,  my  darling  !  May  you  love  your  own 
Father  in  heaven  far  more  than  you  love  your  own  father 
on  earth,  and  I  know  how  truly  you  love  me,  and  you 
know  how  truly  I  love  you  ;  but  He  loves  you  infinitely 
more  than  I  can  possibly  do,  though  I  give  you  my  whole 
heart. 

"  Will  you  write  a  line  to  the  old  man  ?  And  remember 
he  won't  criticise  it,  but  be  glad  to  hear  all  your  chatter." 

To  the  Same  : — 

"  It  is  now,  I  think,  thirteen  years,  my  dearest  , 

since  your  old  dad  and  your  mother  first  saw  Avith  joy  and 
gratitude  your  chubby  face,  and  received  you,  their  first- 
born, as  a  gift  from  God.  It  Avas  indeed  a  solemn  day  to 
your  parents  to  have  had  an  immortal  being  given  to  them, 
whom  they  could  call  their  own  child ;  and  it  AA^as  a 
solemn  day,  though  you  kncAV  it  not,  for  you,  dearest, 
when  you  began  a  life  Avhich  would  never  end.  You  have 
been  a  source  of  great  happiness  to  us  ever  since  ;  and 
you  cannot  yet  understand  the  longings,  the  earnest 
prayers  offered  up  by  us  both  that  you  may,  by  the  gTace 
of  God,  make  your  life  a  source  of  joy  and  blessing  to 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS.  239 

yourself,  and  be  a  joy  to  Jesus  Christ,  to  Whom  you 
belong,  Who  has  redeemed  you  to  God  with  His  own  blood, 
and  Who  loves  you  inconceivably  more  than  your  own  loving 
parents  do.  I  hope,  dearest,  you  will  thank  God  for  all 
His  kindness  to  you — do  speak  3'our  heart  out  to  Him. 
He  likes  you  to  do  it,  and  I  am  sure  you  do  feel  grateful 
for  your  many  mercies, 

"  Oh,  my  OAvn  darling!  you  little  know  how  your  mother 
and  I  desire  and  pray  for  this,  as  the  one  thing  to  obtain 
which  we  could  suffer  and  die,  that  you  may  love  and  obey 
Jesus  Christ ;  that  you  may  know  Him  and  speak  to  Him, 
trust  Him,  obey  Him,  as  your  Friend,  Brother,  Saviour, 
Who  dearly  loves  you,  and  desires  you  dearly  to  love  Him 
in  return.  There  is  no  blessing  God  could  give  me  in  this 
world  to  be  compared  for  one  moment  to  that  of  seeing 
my  children,  who  are  dearer  to  me  than  life  itself,  proving 
themselves  to  be  children  of  God.  Let  me  have  this  joy 
in  you  first,  as  my  first-born  !  God  will  give  the  un- 
speakable blessing  if  you  pray  to  Him,  and  speak  to  Him 
about  it,  simply,  frankly,  as  you  would  speak  to  me — but 
even  more  confidingly  than  you  could  even  to  me.  In 
the  meantime,  dearie,  thank  Him  for  all  He  has  done  for 
you  and  given  to  you,  I  am  sure  I  thank  Him  for  His 
gift  of  yourself  to  us  both, 

"  I  dare  say  you  have  sometimes  home  sickness.  Eh  ? 
But  you  cannot  suffer  from  this  youthful  disease  as  much 
as  I  did  when  I  went  first  from  home.  So  you  need  not 
wonder — at  least  I  do  not — if  you  should  sometimes  think 
yourself  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe,  and  get  into  sad 
fits,  and  weary  longings,  and  think  everything  at  home 
most  beautiful !  But  this  is  just  a  part  of  our  education, 
and  a  training  for  life,  and  must  be  made  the  most  of. 

*'  Now  write  to  your  dad,  anyway  you  like.      I   won't 

criticise.     Miss won't  look  at  your  letter,  as  I  wish 

you  to  write  freely  to  me.  She  kindly  agreed  to  this. 
All  our  correspondence  may  be  quite  secret,  Miss  Macleod ! 
Now,  my  lassie,  cheer  up  I  Be  jolly  !  Work  like  a  brick, 
and  enjoy  yourself  like  a  linnet,  I  am  sure  you  will  come 
on  famously — '  Never  say  die  ! '  " 


140  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  the  Same  :— 

Balmoral,  Junt  12,  1865. 

"  I  want  to  sond  j'ou  a  loving  word  from  this,  to  prova 
to  you  liow  your  old  dad  remembers  you. 

"  I  came  here  Saturday,  and  preached  yesterday,  and 
you  may  be  sure  the  Queen  is  very  good  and  kind,  when 
she  is  so  kind  to  your  old  dad.  But  he  loves  her  very 
much,  and  is  proud  to  serve  her. 

"  I  am  always  glad  to  hear  from  you,  dearest,  and  I 
hope  you  seriously  and  prayerfully  try  and  do  all  I  told 
you  in  my  long  letter.  I  would  sooner  see  you  sick  and 
poor  with  the  love  of  Christ,  than  the  queen  of  the  whole 
world,  for  ever  and  ever,  without  it." 


Shandon,  Afrxl  18,  1866. 

"  Your  dad  has  come  here  for  rest — that  is,  to  reply 
to  a  ton  of  letters;  among  others,  to  yours  of  March  3. 
Oh,  I  wish  you  were  here  to  enjoy  the  delicious  air !  No  ! 
for  you  have  got  better  at  Brighton.    To  see  your  mammy? 

No  !    for  you  prefer  Miss to  all  your  family.      To 

be  clasped  to  the  huzzwm  oi  your  old  dad?  No!  you 
are  too  refined  for  that.  But  to  get  your  dad  his  sli})pers, 
for  his  unfeeling  fiimily  left  them  behind  in  Glasgow  ! 

"  This  day  is  lovely — the  sea  is  calm,  and  the  gulls  are 
floating  about  without  coucfhs  or  colds.  No  flannels  on 
their  throats,  no  nightcaps  on  their  heads,  or  warm  stock- 
ings on  their  feet.  No  gruel  or  warm  bath  before  going 
to  bed.  No  '  Gregory  '  in  the  morning.  The  birds  are 
singing  most  correctly,  and  never  were  in  a  boarding- 
school.  The  old  hills  are  as  strong  as  ever,  and  if  they 
are  not  Macleod's  they  Make  Clouds.  Yesterday  lots  of 
rain  fell  on  them,  and  they  had  no  umbrellas.  But 
though  their  noses  ran  with  water  for  a  Avhile,  they  are  all 
dry  now,  and  no  sneezing.  The  winds  are  kissing  the  sea, 
and  the  sea  only  laughs.  Naughty  sea  and  winds  !  No 
wonder  the  good  steamer  is  indignant,  and  blows  smoke  at 
the  wind,  and  whips  the  sea  with  its  paddles  till  it  foams 
with  rage.  The  lambs  are  playing  about  like  little 
idle  fools,  never  thinking  of  the  coming  days   of  mint 


SOME  CHARACTERISTICS. 


241 


sauce  or  roast  mutton.  They  tliink  that  the  world  was 
made  to  enable  them  to  suck  their  mothers  and  wag  their 
tails.  They  don't  believe  in  butchers,  nor  do  their 
mothers.  The  quiet  is  great,  but  for  -Willy.  His  song 
is  louder  than  the  birds.  He  flies  like  the  wind,  lasses 
his  mother  like  the  lambs,  is  as  hearty  as  the  gulls,  and 
patronises  the  cruel  butcher." 


To  the  Same  :— 

Ems,  May  1,  1871. 

"  My  dearest  old  girl,  I  send  my  parental  blessing  to 
you  on  your  birthday.  That  was  a  joyous  day  to  your 
father  and  mother,  and  every  return  makes  us  more  and 

more  thanlcful  for  you,  and .      But  I  won't    praise 

you, — what  ?    but   I  will  say  that .      No,   I  won't ! 

One  thing  is  certain.     What  ?     Guess  !    Well,  then,  of  all 
the   girls  I  ever  knew,  you  are  one  that — what  ?     It  is 

for  you  to  say.     This  only  I  will  say,  that .       But 

there's  no  use!     You  know  what,   my  darling !     So  kiss 

your  father.     As  for ,  poor  body,  the  less  said  about 

her  the  better !     But  this  I  will  say,  she  never  snores — 


never !   and  she  also — ^yes,  of  course- 
but  not — who  ?" 


-loves  the  children. 


The  Spirit  of  Eomanee  and  Song. 


The  Sea  Serpent  Emigrating. 


VOL.    IL 


R 


CHAPTER  XX. 

INDIA. 

DE.  MACLEOD  had  for  several  years  been 
convinced  that  the  Church  ought  to  send  a 
deputation  to  India.  There  were  many  imj)ortant 
questions  connected  with  missions  in  that  country, 
which,  he  believed,  could  be  decided  only  by  Com- 
missioners, who,  besides  considering  matters  affecting 
particular  localities,  might  take  a  wide  survey  of  the 
condition  of  India  in  reference  to  Christianity.  He 
had  long  anticipated,  too,  the  possibility  of  being 
himself  appointed  to  such  a  duty,  and  was  prepared, 
at  almost  any  personal  risk,  to  undertake  it.  '  I  have 
the  most  distinct  recollection,'  writes  Dr.  Clerk, 
'that  in  the  summer  of  18G5,  speaking  to  me,  as  he 
often  did,  of  the  possibility  of  his  being  asked  to 
go  to  India,  he  told  me  that  medical  friends,  to 
whom  he  had  casually  mentioned  the  matter,  had 
assured  him  it  would  entail  certain  death,  but  that 
he  had  coimted  the  cost,  and  that  if  the  Chiu'ch 
asked  him  to  represent  her,  he  would  rather  die  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duty  tlian  live  in  the  neglect  of 
it.  I  am  convinced  that,  in  the  true  martyr  cpirit, 
he  gave  his  life  for  the  conversion  of  India,  and  that 


INDIA.  243 

the  fruit  will  appear  in  due  season.  He  ardently 
anticipated  glorious  results  from  a  Christianised 
India — a  youthful  Church  with  the  warmth  of  the 
Eastern  heart  and  the  quickness  of  the  Eastern  mind, 
drawing  its  inspiration,  not  from  the  stereotj^^ped 
forms  of  the  West,  but  directly  from  the  Fountain  of 
Eternal  Life  and  Truth.  Often  did  he  in  the  most 
glowing  language  picture  the  effect  upon  Europe  and 
America  should  light  again  stream  from  the  East  to 
quicken  their  decaying  energies.' 

He  was,  therefore,  not  taken  by  surprise  when  the 
General  Assembly  of  1867,  acting  on  the  unanimous 
request  of  the  Mission  Board  at  Calcutta,  appointed 
him,  along  with  Dr.  Watson  of  Dundee,  to  represent 
the  Church  of  Scotland  in  India. 

Before  he  left  this  country  he  carefully  determined 
the  chief  questions  to  which  his  attention  should  be 
directed.  Ever  since  his  enthusiasm  had  been  kindled 
by  his  intercourse  at  Loudoun  with  the  noble  widow 
of  ex-Governor-General  Lord  Hastings,  he  had  taken 
an  almost  romantic  interest  in  the  policy  of  our 
Eastern  empire ;  was  familiar  with  the  details  of 
every  campaign  from  the  days  of  Clive  to  the  Indian 
mutiny ;  and  had  read  much  of  the  religious  as  well 
as  civil  history  of  the  natives.  He  had  also  for  years 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  management  of  India 
Missions ;  and  in  order  to  profit  by  as  wide  a  range 
of  experience  as  possible,  he  corresponded  with 
persons  in  this  country  well  acquainted  with,  or 
earnestly  interested  in,  these  Missions,  and  obtained 
from  them  various,  and  therefore  valuable  statements 
of  those  difficulties  and  objections  regarding  which 

R  2 


244  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

inquiiy  was  needed.  From  the  topics  suggested  by 
these  and  similar  authorities,  he  and  his  brother 
deputy  drew  up,  during  their  outward  voyage,  a 
series  of  queries,  embracing  the  points  which  most 
required  investigation. 

They  had  also  peculiar  advantages,  when  in  India, 
for  gaining  the  best  answers  to  their  inquiries.  They 
were  welcomed  as  friends  by  the  representatives  and 
agents  of  every  Church  and  Mission,  from  the  bishops 
of  the  Church  of  England  in  India  down  to  the  poorest 
native  catechist,  and  received  from  them  all  every 
post^ible  aid  and  information.  They  enjoyed  the 
frankest  intercourse  with  educated  natives  of  all 
varieties  of  creed  and  of  no  creed,  and  with  the 
conductors  of  the  Press,  religious  and  secular, 
Christian  and  Hindoo.  They  were  honoured  like- 
wise with  the  confidence  of  the  highest  and  best 
informed  Officers  of  State,  in  each  of  the  Presidencies, 
and  were  thus  able  to  gauge  opinion  in  different 
places  and  among  different  ranks  and  types  of  men, 
and  to  form  their  conclusions  from  unusually  com- 
prehensive data.  '  We  had  in  our  investigations,' 
he  reports,  '  advantages  similar  to  those  possessed 
by  a  Government  Commission,  which  cites  select 
witnesses  and  visits  select  districts,  and  the  value 
of  whose  conclusions  is  not  to  be  estimated  by  the 
time  spent  in  inquiry,  or  to  be  balanced  against 
those  arrived  at  by  'the  oldest  inhabitant'  of  any 
one  village.' 

In  speaking  of  the  trouble  Dr.  Macleod  took  to 
obtain  trustworthy  information,  not  only  on  the  ques- 
tions bearing  directly  on  his  mission,  but  in  regard  to 


INDIA.  245 

everything  which  came  under  his  notice,  and  the  con- 
sequent accuracy  of  the  conclusions  he  reached  (an 
accuracy  which  has  since  been  recognised  by  some  of 
the  ablest  authorities  on  Indian  affairs),  Dr.  Watson 
thus  describes  the  difficulties  which  had  to  be 
encountered : — 

''!N'o  one  who  has  not  had  something  to  do  with 
gathering  information  can  imagine  the  difficulty  of 
sifting  the  opinions  and  statements  which  are  made 
by  residents  in  India  on  its  internal  affairs.  If  you 
are  content  to  take  the  first  witness  you  find  as  an 
authority,  and  to  form  your  judgment  according  to 
his  evidence,  you  will  avoid  much  perplexity;  but 
you  will  run  the  risk  of  holding  most  erroneous  and 
one-sided  views.  Dr.  Macleod  used  often  to  express 
his  astonishment  at  the  opposite  and  contradictory 
declarations  made  to  him  by  persons  who  seemed  to 
have  had  the  best  opportunities  of  knowing  what  they 
spoke  about.  Two  men,  or  half-a-dozen  men,  who 
ought  to  have  been  each  in  his  own  line  a  guarantee 
for  correctness,  would  on  some  point  give  as  many 
different  opinions,  formed  on  their  own  personal 
experience. 

"  Each  man  had  lived  in  a  little  world  of  his  own ; 
in  the  presence  of  his  own  countrymen  he  had  been 
a  stranger  to  all  except  his  own  circle.  And,  indeed, 
one  is  surprised  at  the  separateness  and  isolation  of 
Eui'opean  society  in  the  great  centres  of  the  popula- 
tion ;  for,  if  you  pass  from  one  little  cii'cle  to  another, 
it  is  like  crossing  into  a  new  region  of  mental  life ; 
and  the  instruments  for  gauging  facts,  opinions,  expe- 
riences, and  modes  of  thought  need  to  be  readjusted. 


246  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  follow  implicitly  the  traditions  and  convictions  of 
youi*  informants  on  almost  any  subject  of  wide  interest, 
you  must  lay  aside  to-day  the  impressions  you  took 
up  yesterday ;  to-morrow  you  may  have  cause  to 
retui-n  to  your  earlier  ones,  and  day  by  day  you  may 
have  to  modify  now  one  and  now  another  of  your 
notions,  proved  on  what  you  believed  good  grounds ; 
and  after  all  you  will  retain  yoiu-  latest  conviction 
with  caution  and  modesty. 

"  It  was  no  easy  matter,  then,  for  a  man  like  him, 
who  wished  to  probe  everything,  and  to  attain  to  the 
truth,  to  ascertain  correct  data.  At  times  he  grew 
impatient,  and  at  other  times  he  used  to  look  on  the 
matter  on  its  ludicrous  side,  and  illustrate  it  by  a 
story  his  father  had  often  told,  of  an  incident  at  the 
trial  of  some  case  at  which  he  was  present.  The 
witness  in  the  box  was  a  Highlandman  unable  to  speak 
a  word  of  English,  and  he  gave  his  evidence  through 
an  interpreter.  When  a  question  was  put  to  the 
vritness,  he  would  hesitate  and  say,  '  I  think,  well  I 
daresay,  yes.'  Then  the  interpreter  turns  to  the 
judge  with  this  statement,  '  He  says,  "Yes,"  my  lord, 
but  he  seems  not  quite  sure.'  '■  Ask  him  again,'  says 
the  judge ;  and  again  the  witness  hesitated,  balanced 
statements,  and  concluded  with  '  I  think,  well  I  dare- 
say, no.'  Whereupon  the  interpreter  announced  the 
reply,  and  shouted,  '  lie  says,  "  Xo,"  my  lord,'  and 
so  the  case  proceeded,  interrupted  every  now  and 
again  by  the  twofold  answer,  '  He  says,  "  Yes,"  my 
lord;  he  says,  "No,"  my  lord,'  until  the  judge  com- 
pletely lost  his  temper. 

"  It  was  often  through  similar  difficulties  of  contra- 


INDIA.  247 

diction  from  the  witness-box,  and  from  different  lips, 
that  Dr.  Macleod  was  obliged  to  draw  his  knowledge 
of  what  were  the  facts  and  opinions  of  Indian  life ; 
and  he  seized  every  chance  of  correcting  his  impres- 
sions by  putting  the  right  questions  to  the  right  men, 
and  by  a  sort  of  instinctive  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  the  replies  he  received  to  his  numerous  and  sifting 
inquiries." 

The  reception  accorded  to  the  deputation  was 
enthusiastic,  and  their  labours  were  constant  and 
onerous.  Crowds,  in  which  natives  were  mingled 
with  English,  assembled  in  the  Churches  in  which 
they  were  to  preach,  or  at  the  meetings  they  were 
to  address.  Every  day,  almost  every  hour,  had  its 
engagements ;  examining  schools,  conferring  with 
missionaries,  and  responding  to  the  attentions  and 
hospitalities  which  were  bestowed  on  them.  To  the 
Indian  habit  of  early  rising  there  was  too  frequently 
added  the  home  custom  of  late  sitting,  with  its  con- 
sequent exhaustion.  '  It  is  certainly  trying,'  he 
writes,  '  for  a  stranger,  who  is  entertained  hospitably 
every  night,  and  who  consequently  retu'es  late,  to 
have  his  first  sleep  broken  by  the  card  of  some  dis- 
tinguished official  handed  to  him  about  daybreak.' 
This  strain  upon  his  system  told  more  perniciously 
than  he  was  at  the  time  conscious  of.  '  It  was  very 
difficult,'  Dr.  Watson  says,  '  to  convince  him  that,  for 
a  man  like  him,  labour  in  Scotland,  with  its  cold  and 
bracing  atmosphere,  was  one  thing,  and  labour  in  a 
tropical  climate  was  another  thing.  He  believed  it 
on  the  whole ;  but  unless  the  belief  was  impressed 
on  his  mind   by  physical  pain  or  inconvenience,  it 


2+8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

was  inojDcrative ;  and  he  was  apt  to  forget  that  he 
was  in  a  region  where  exertion  such  as  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  at  home  would  entail  upon  him  consequences 
of  a  serious  kind.  The  only  instance  in  which  he 
seemed  to  distrust  the  climate  of  India  was  in  regard 
to  his  mode  of  living.  He  could  both  enjoy  life  and 
forego  its  enjoyments,  as  few  men  could,  without  a 
sense  of  loss;  he  could  avail  himself  of  the  most 
boundless  hospitality,  and  he  could  at  the  most  sump- 
tuous table  fare  like  a  hermit;  and  when,  a  day  or 
two  after  his  landing  in  Bombay,  he  was  told  by  a 
physician  that  everything  which  was  safe  for  him  at 
home  was  not  equally  safe  in  India,  he  was  perfectly 
unaffected  by  the  news ;  and,  so  far  as  meat  and 
drink  were  concerned,  he  walked  strictly  by  medical 
rule.  In  all  other  respects  he  forgot  his  belief  in 
the  dangers  of  India :  he  spoke  in  public,  he  talked 
in  private,  he  listened,  he  exerted  body  and  brain  from 
morning  till  night,  he  spent  himself  without  grudg- 
ing and  without  consideration.  On  one  occasion  he 
preached  for  about  an  hour  while  sailing  down  the 
Eed  Sea,  and  at  the  close  of  the  service  he  was  almost 
dead.  Ilis  face  was  flushed,  his  head  ached,  his  brain 
was  confused ;  and  when  he  retired  to  his  cabin  the 
utmost  efforts  were  required  to  restore  him.  The 
warning  was  noted  by  him,  and  often  remembered, 
but  it  was  as  often  forgotten  or  neglected  afterwards. 
''I  shall  not  attempt,"  Dr.  Watson  continues,  'to 
describe  the  interest  which  was  felt  amongst  all  classes 
in  India  in  the  speeches  and  sermons  of  Dr.  Macleod. 
The  visit  of  a  man  of  much  less  note  would  have 
attracted   some   attention,  and  would   have    brought 


INDIA.  249 

together   a   very  large    proportion   of   the    English- 
speaking  population  in  every  city  which  was  visited. 
Moreover,   the  novelty  of  the  visit,  the  first  of  its 
kind   from   Scotland,    was   sufficient   to   awaken  the 
sympathies  of  Christians,  and  to  excite  the  curiosity, 
if  not   a   deeper   feeling,   amongst  all  the   races  and 
religions  of  India.      His  name  had  gone  before  him 
in  every   province.      l!^o   efforts   had   been   used   to 
draw  the    notice    of    the   world    to   his   visit;    the 
ordinary  publication  of  a  list  of  passengers  by  the 
next  steamer,  confirming  a  rumour  that  Dr.  Macleod 
was  on  his  way  to  India,  was  of  itself  enough.     His 
arrival  was  looked   forward  to  with  eagerness,   and, 
soon  after  his  landing,  invitations  and  inquiries  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  were  sent  in.    Wherever  he 
went  he  was  received  with  kindness  and  cordiality; 
in  many  places  with  that  deep  respect  and  veneration 
which  had  grown  up  in  the  minds  of  those  who  had 
admired  his  works  and  had  heard  of  his  labours,  and 
in  many  places   he  was  welcomed  with  feelings   of 
ardour  rising  to  enthusiasm. 

"  The  foremost  men  in  India  in  civil  and  military 
and  ecclesiastical  posts  were  ready  to  do  him  honour 
and  to  aid  him ;  in  public  and  in  private  they  testified 
for  him  their  personal  respect ;  and  when  they  found 
him  to  be  a  man  whose  eyes  were  observant,  whose 
sympathies  were  quick,  whose  large-heartedness  was 
so  comprehensive  and  whose  humour  was  so  genial 
and  overpowering,  it  seemed  as  if  all  barriers  were 
broken  down,  and  as  if  they  had  known  him  person- 
ally all  their  lives.  He  gained  access  to  persons 
and    soui'ces    of    information   which,    without    any 


2  5 o  LIFE  OF  NORMA N  MA  CL  EOD. 

wish  to   disoblige,    would   have   been    shut   to  most 
other  men. 

*'  Nothing  indeed  was  lacking  in  the  welcome  which 
greeted  him ;  and  never  did  visitor  appreciate  kind 
ness  more.  But  withal  he  Avas  not  misled  by  these 
marks  of  flattery  and  good-feeling.  He  could  distin- 
guish between  the  genuine  and  the  unreal :  he  knew 
well  enough  that  whilst  there  were  many  who  testified 
their  zeal  and  good-will,  many  more  had  the  future  in 
view,  and  were  careful  to  propitiate  an  author  who  was 
likely  to  command  as  wide  a  circle  of  readers  as  any 
writer  in  Great  Britain.  And,  apart  from  this,  he  had 
set  his  heart  on  the  special  object  which  carried  him 
to  India ;  and  all  external  attentions,  all  readiness  to 
listen,  all  offers  of  hospitality  or  public  respect,  were 
regarded  by  him  as  helps  to  his  work,  and  as  opening 
up  for  him  a  surer  path  to  that  knowledge  of  Indian 
life  and  Indian  affairs  of  which  he  was  in  search." 


From  his  Journal  : — 

CuTLClTENNA,  July  24,  1867. 

"  Dear  place,  with  what  genuine  love  and  gratitude  I 
write  its  name  !  I  thought  I  was  too  old  to  love  nature  as 
I  have  done.  What  a  time  I  have  had,  what  glorious 
scenery,  what  fresh  mornings,  and,  oh,  what  evenings  ! 
With  smooth  seas  gleaming  with  the  hues  of  a  dove's 
neck ;  mountains  with  every  shade  which  can  at  such 
times  be  produced ;  Glencoe  in  sunshine  and  in  deepest 
crimson ;  Glengoar,  with  its  sunbeams  lighting  up  tlie 
hill  sides  with  softest  dreamy  velvet  hues ;  mountain 
masses  of  one  dark  hue  clearl}^  defined  against  the  blue 
sky,  and  fading  into  grey  over  Duart.  What  cloud 
shadows,  and  what  effects  from  pines,  and  cottages  with 
grey  smoke  and  lines  of  silver  along  the  shore,  and  the 
masts  of  ships  at  anchor !     Praise  God  for  this  glorious 


INDIA.  251 

"world  ?  tlie  world  made  and  adorned  by  Him  wlio  died 
on  the  cross.  What  a  gospel  of  peace  and  good-will  it 
ever  is  to  me— not  a  prison  but  a  palace — hung  with 
pictures  of  glory,  full  of  works  of  art,  and  all  so  pure  and 
holy.  Every  bunch  of  green  fern,  every  bit  of  burning 
heather,  the  birches,  the  pure  streams,  the  everything,  says, 
'  I  love  you — love  me — and  rejoice  ! '  Sometimes  I  wept, 
and  sometimes  prayed,  and  enjoyed  silent  praise — I  bless 
Thee  for  it ! 

"  And  then  there  was  my  dear  family  all  together,  and  all 
so  well,  and  the  walks,  the  pic-nics  to  the  hills,  Glencoe, 
Glengoar,  the  fishing  in  the  evening — all  sunshine — all  hap- 
piness— most  wonderful  for  so  many  and  all  sinners,  in  this 
world  of  sin  and  discipline.  It  is  of  God  our  Father,  and 
a  type  of  what  will  be  for  ever. 

"  Forbid  that  this  should  hinder  us  and  not  rather  help 
us  to  do  our  duty,  severe  duty,  and  to  accept  any  trial. 
I  feel  this  is  a  calm  harbour  in  which  I  am  refitting  for  a 
long  voyage." 

To  J.  M.  Ludlow,  Esq. : — 

August,  1867. 

"Yes,  I  go  on  the  5th  of  November  on  a  great  mission 
to  India,  not  verily  to  Presbyterians  only,  but  to  see  Avhat 
the  eye  alone  can  see,  and  to  verify  or  test  what  cannot  be 
seen,  but  which  I  either  question  or  believe  anent  missions 
in  general  and  education. 

'  I  have  been  in  paradise  with  my  family.  The  heavenly 
district  is  called  in  maps  of  earth,  Lochaber.  But  what 
map  could  give  all  the  glory  in  the  world  without,  and  the 
world  within ! 

"  It  has  been  a  blessed  preparation  for  labour  night  and 
day.     I  had  a  mission  sermon  of  good-will  to  man." 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

Balmoral,  Fridmj,  Scptemher  10th,  1867. 

"  It  was  a  glorious  day  ;  but  rather  a  weary  journey 
from  Glasgow  yesterday. 

"This  morning's  telegram  announced  the  death  of  Sir 


252  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Frederick  Bruce  suddenly  at  Boston.  Lady  Frances 
Baillie,  liis  sister,  is  here.  I  have  becu  Avith  her  and 
prayed  with  her.  She  accompanies  me  to  Perth  to-morrow. 
I  feel  very  truly  for  her.  Three  such  brothers,  Lord  Elgin, 
General  Bruce,  and  Sir  Frederick  dying  so  suddenly  1 
Mystery ! 

"  I  had  a  long  and  pleasant  interview  with  the  Queen, 
"With  my  last  breath  I  will  uphold  the  excellence  and 
nobleness  of  her  character.  It  was  really  grand  to  hear 
her  talk  on  moral  courage,  and  on  living  for  duty." 

From  his  Jouhnal  :— 

"August  11,  Glasgou). — I  have  long  been  convinced 
of  the  vast  importance  of  sending  a  deputation  to  India, 
and  my  friends  in  the  Committee  know  it.  I  never  brought 
it  formally  before  the  Committee  from  an  awkward,  silly 
feeling  of  fear  lest  they  should  suppose  it  was  a  mere 
personal  affair.  I  had,  however,  I  believed,  mentioned  to 
friends  in  private  that  so  convinced  was  I  of  its  import- 
ance, that  I  was  disposed  to  hazard  the  oft'er  of  my  going 
at  my  own  expense. 

"  How  often  did  I  ponder  over  India !  It  possessed 
me,  but  I  held  myself  in.  I  determined  not  to  lead  but 
to  follow.    The  Lord  knows  how  often  I  asked  His  counsel 

"  When  the  Sunday  question  came  up,  I  gave  up  all 
thoughts  of  India.  I  felt  then  that  I  was  tabooed.  I 
would,  indeed,  have  resigned  the  Convenership,  except  from 
the  determination  not  to  confess  any  sense  of  wrong  doing 
which  I  did  not  feel.  I  learned  but  the  other  day  that  a 
meeting  was  called  at  the  time  to  get  me  to  resign  ;  the 
vote  was  taken  and  carried  a^^ainst  them.  I  thank  God 
for  the  noble  freedom  of  the  Church,  which  could  not 
only  entertain  the  thought  of  sending  me,  but  act  upon  it 
as  they  have  done. 

"  After  my  report  for  the  last  Assembly  was  finished,  a 
letter  came  from  Calcutta,  from  our  Corresponding  Board, 
reqiiesting  the  Convener  to  visit  India. 

"  I  called  a  meeting  in  Edinburgh  of  a  few  friends  in 
the    Committee,   best    fitted    to    advise    me.      They    told 


INDIA.  253 

me  I  must  lay  an  official  document  before  the  Com- 
mittee. The  meeting  was  called  by  the  Moderator  of 
Assembly,  and  I  was  absent.  All  I  said  was  that  this 
Assembly  should  decide  one  way  or  other,  if  I,  a  man 
fifty-six  years  of  age,  was  even  to  consider  the  proposal. 
I  telegraphed  next  day  to  Dr.  Craik  to  print  their 
deliverance,  whatever  it  was,  so  that  the  Assembly  might 
have  it  before  them  in  a  tangible  form.  It  was  printed 
accordingly,  and  I  simply  read  it,  excusing  the  fact  of  its 
not  being  in  the  report,  from  the  request  having  come  so 
late,  and  in  this  form  taking  me  aback.  The  Assembly 
discussed  the  question,  and  were,  strange  to  say,  unanimous 
in  granting  the  request,  if  the  Presbytery  of  Glasgow 
agreed  thereto,  and  if  Funds  were  raised  independent  of 
the  subscriptions  for  the  Mission.  Mr.  Johnstone,  of 
Greenock,  nobly  offered  to  guarantee  £1,000  if  I  went, 
and  so  this  barrier  was  removed  ! 

"  My  physicians  said  Yes. 

"  My  wife  said  Yes,  if  God  so  wills.  My  aged  and 
blessed  mother  said  Yes. 

"  My  congregation  ?  Well,  I  wrote  dear  James  Camp- 
bell, my  wise,  cautious,  loving,  and  dear  friend  and  elder, 
and  he  read  to  my  Session  a  letter  written  from  CuilchennR, 
which  told  the  whole  truth,  and  the  Session  said  Yes. 
Could  I  say  No  ?  Could  I  believe  in  God,  as  a  guide, 
and  say  No  ?  It  was  difficult  to  say  Yes.  The  wife  and 
bairns  made  it  difficult ;  but  was  I  to  be  a  coward,  and 
every  officer  in  the  army  to  rebuke  me  ?  No  !  I  said 
Yes,  with  a  good  conscience,  a  firm  heart,  after  much 
prayer,  and  I  dared  not  say  No. 

"  No  doubt  all  my  personal  feelings,  the  Mission  ques- 
tion excepted,  would  keep  me  at  home.  I  have  seen  so 
much  of  the  world  that  I  would  not  go  to  India  for  the 
mere  purpose  of  visiting  it  as  a  traveller,  should  I  see  it  in 
a  month  for  nothing  from  the  Himalayas  to  Cape  Comorin. 
I  would  not  give  a  Aveek  in  Rome,  which  I  have  never 
seen,  for  any  time  in  India,  were  it  close  at  hand. 

"Apart  from  Missions,  nothing  could  possibly  induce 
me  to  run  risks,  encounter  fatigue,  and  make  such  sacii- 
fices  in  my  fifty-sixth  year. 


25+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  I  cannot  as  Convener  lay  my  hand  on  any  one 
authentic  and  reliable  book  or  report,  enabling  me  to  get 
a  clear,  firm,  unhesitating  grasp  of  the  real  state,  difiiculties, 
and  requirements  of  our  Missions. 

"  We  are  at  this  moment  passing  through  a  crisis  in 
our  Mission  histor^^  both  in  India  and  at  home.  There  are 
questions  of  increased  salaries,  according  to  the  circum- 
stances of  each  Mission  station  ;  the  employment  of  home 
native  teachers;  the  emplojnnent  —  its  nature,  place, 
pay,  &c.,  of  native  ministers,  with  their  future  relationship 
to  the  Board,  the  local  Presbytery,  and  the  Committee ; 
the  formation  of  Corresponding  Boards,  and  the  clearing 
up  of  constantly  recurring  misunderstandings  with  them  ; 
the  personal  examination  into  the  actual  condition  of  each 
Mission  station,  and  the  encouraging  of  the  missionaries  ; 
the  obtaining  accurate  information  through  letters  from 
the  Home  Government  to  the  Indian  Government,  and 
from  every  leading  Missionary  Society  labouring  in  India, 
that  so,  by  confidential  communications  Avith  representative 
men  of  all  parties  and  creeds,  we  may  estimate  the  actual 
state  and  •  prospects  of  Missions  in  India.  Such  is  a  faint 
outline  of  some  of  the  objects  of  a  deputation  as  far  as 
India  is  concerned. 

"  As  to  the  danger,  it  is  nothing,  for  God  is  everywhere. 
As  to  family,  He  can  take  care  of  them  ;  so  can  He  of  the 
dear  congregation.  But  it  seems  to  me, — and  surely  my 
Father  will  not  let  me  be  in  darkness  ! — to  be  my  duty, 
and  so  I  go,  in  the  name  of  God — Father,  Son,  and  Spirit." 

"August  20. — Dear  Watson  goes  with  me.  Thank 
God,  the  way  is  clear. 

"  The  one  grand  difficulty  is  the  fact  that  I  have  not 
since  the  Sabbath  controversy  been  much  of  a  pastor. 
God  knows  I  have  not  been  spending  my  time  selfishly. 
Every  hour  has  been  occupied  for  the  public — that  is,  my 
small  public — good.  There  has  been  no  idleness.  But  I 
have  not  been  able  amidst  my  work  to  visit,  and  though  I 
condemn  myself  by  the  confession,  yet  I  Avill  make  it,  that 
a  chief,  yea,  the  chief  ground  of  ministerial  usefulness,  is 
the  personal  attachment  of  the  people,  and  this  is  gained 
most  by  personal  visitation.      It  is  a  righteous  ground.      I 


INDIA.  255 

am  amazed  at  their  patience  and  attachment  to  me  !  My 
only  consolation  is  my  heartfelt  attachment  to  them — if 
they  only  knew  how  great  it  is  ! 

"  Come  life  or  death,  I  believe  that  it  is  God's  will.  I 
ask  no  more.  All  results  are  known  to  Him.  Enouofh  if 
He  in  mercy  reveals  His  will.  To  suspect  myself  deceived 
would  be  to  shatter  all  my  faith  in  God.  Again  I  say  I 
know  not  in  what  form  He  is  to  be  glorified  in  or  b}'-  us. 
All  I  know  is,  that  I  solemnly  believe  God  says,  '  It  is  my 
will  that  you  go.' 

"  But  when  I  think  of  probabilities,  I  would  be  over- 
whelmed unless  I  knew  that  I  was  not  to  be  over- 
anxious about  the  morrow,  or  about  anything,  but  to  rest 
on  God  for  each  day's  guidance,  strength,  and  blessing. 
The  many  I  shall  meet,  the  importance  of  all  that  is  said 
or  done,  the  responsibility  of  personal  influence  emanating 
from  personal  being ;  the  sermons  and  addresses ;  the 
questions  to  be  asked,  and  the  judging  of  the  replies  to 
them  ;  the  patience,  truth,  and  perseverance,  judgment  and 
temper  needed  ;  the  redeeming,  in  short,  of  this  magnificent 
talent  when  abused.  How  solemn  the  thought !  And 
then  the  right  use  of  it  when  I  return — the  labour  and 
wisdom  this  implies — the  results  which  depend  on  its  use  ! 
How  affecting  !  And  I  getting  so  old — little  time  left — 
and  having  so  many  difficulties  from  within  and  without ! 
But  the  good  Master  knows  all — and  He  is  so  good,  so 
patient,  so  considerate,  forbearing,  strengthening,  over- 
ruling !     Amen. 

"  I  have  no  legacy  to  leave  in  the  form  of  wishes.  I 
leave  God  to  arrange  all.  For  my  family  I  have  but  one 
wish,  that  these  dear  ones — each  a  part  of  my  being — should 
know  God,  and  be  delivered  from  evil.  Rich  or  poor,  well 
or  ill,  my  one  cry  to  God  is,  '  May  they  be  Thine  through 
faith  in  Jesus,  and  obedience  to  Thy  holy  commandments.' 

"  And  God  will  provide  for  my  dear  people.  Oh,  how 
good  they  have  been  to  me  1  " 


iS6  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  James  A.  Campbell,  Esq. : — 

"  I  think  Young's  view  of  sacrifice  superficial  in  the 
extreme,  and  that  in  his  desire  to  give  prominence  to  per- 
sonal righteousness  as  the  grand  end  of  Christ's  work,  in 
which  I  cordially  sympathize,  he  leaves  really  no  room  for 
pardon  as  an  act  of  mercy.  But  as  I  have  not  his 
work  on  the  subject  with  me,  and  no  space  for  writing,  I 
won't  indulcre  in  criticism.  The  best  book  out  of  si'dit,  I 
think,  on  this  great  question  is  Campbell's,  my  very  dear 
friend.  It  has  defects  when  brought  to  the  severe  test  vi 
exegesis,  but  is  the  best  nevertheless. 

"  I  quite  agree  with  Mr. that  it  ought  to  be  the  aim 

of  the  legislation  of  every  Church  to  make  its  dogmatic 
basis  square  more  and  more  with  the  creed  of  the  Church 
Catholic.  A  Church  is  catholic  only  when  it  is  capable, 
las  far  as  its  creed  is  concerned,  of  embracini?  livin^f  Chris- 
tendom,  so  that  a  member  or  minister  righteously  deposed 
from  its  communion  should  thereby  be  deposed  as  righte- 
ously from  the  whole  Catholic  Church. 

"  I  think  the  Popish  Church  eminently  sectarian,  and 
the  most  remarkable  union,  or  rather  disunion  of 
*  Catholics  '  I  have  ever  seen  was  in  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
around  the  symbol  of  the  grand  fact  wdiich  should  unite 
all — Jesus  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life. 

"  As  to  the  question  of  the  Sabbath,  it  never  did  nor 
could  excite  my  enthusiasm.  It  is  an  outside  question, 
interesting  theologically  as  involving  the  higher  question 
of  the  relation  between  the  old  and  new  dispensations, 
Judaism  and  Christianity.  Practically,  we  are  all  one  in 
wishing  and  blessing  God  for  a  day  for  social  worship  ; 
and  for  enjoying,  in  its  rest  from  servile  labour,  a  blessed 
opportunity  for  deepening  our  spiritual  rest  with  Christ  in 
God.  I  protested  against  the  base  superstition  attached  to 
it,  which  in  the  long  run  would,  as  education  and  inde- 
pendent thought  advanced,  but  weaken  its  basis  and  turn 
against  it  those  who  wished  most  to  preserve  it.  I  also 
protested,  at  the  risk  of  my  life,  for  more  elbow-room  for 
the  clergy ! 

"  How  strange  and  sudden  has  been  the  revolution,  that 
I,  who  two  years  ago  was  threatened  with  deposition,  and 


INDIA.  257 

was  made  an  offscouring  by  so  many,  am  this  year  asked 
bj'"  the  Assembly  to  be  their  representative  in  India !  God's 
ways  are  verily  not  our  ways  !  " 

From  Professor  Max  Mijller  : — 

"  I  hope  your  visit  to  India  will  give  a  new  impetus  to 
the  missionary  work  in  India,  by  showing  how  much  more 
has  really  been  achieved  thasn  is  commonly  supposed. 
One  cannot  measure  the  success  of  a  missionary  by  the 
number  of  converts  he  has  made,  and  it  does  not  seem  to 
me  likely  that  Christianity  will,  for  some  time  to  come, 
sjDroad  in  India  chiefly  by  means  of  direct  conversions. 
Its  influence,  however,  is  felt  everywhere,  and  even  the 
formation  of  ncAV  religious  societies  apparently  hostile  to 
Christianity,  like  to  the  Brahma  Somaj,  is  due  indirectly 
to  the  preaching  and  teaching  of  Christian  missionaries. 
From  what  I  know  of  the  Hindoos  they  seem  to  me  riper 
for  Christianity  than  any  nation  that  ever  accepted  the 
gospel.  It  does  not  follow  that  the  Christianity  of  India 
will  be  the  Christianity  of  England ;  but  that  the  new 
religion  of  India  will  embrace  all  the  essential  elements 
of  Christianity  I  have  no  doubt,  and  that  is  surely 
something  worth  fighting  for.  If  people  had  only  to  go 
to  India  and  preach,  and  make  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  converts,  why,  who  would  not  be  a  missionary  then  ? " 


From  Sir  Arthur  Helps  : — 

Council  Office,  Ocfoler  3,  1807. 

"  What  on  earth  takes  you  to  India  ?  I  do  not  think  I 
ever  flattered  any  man  in  my  life,  but  I  do  say  of  you,  that 
you  are  the  greatest  and  most  convincing  preacher  I  ever 

heard Now  are  we  not  wicked  enoucfh  here  ?     Is 

there  not  enough  work  for  3^ou  to  do  here,  but  that  you 
must  go  away  from  us  to  India  ?  for  it  appears  that  you 
are  going  to  that  hot  place,  if  I  make  out  your  bad  hand- 
writing rightly. 

"  I  am  really,  without  any  nonsense,  unhappy  at  your 
going.     But  surely  you  are  coming  back  soon." 

VOL.   II.  S 


258  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

From  his  Jourxal  : — 

"  October  27,  Sunday. — The  last  Sunday  before  I  sail 
has  come,  and  it  is  almost  the  ending  of  the  most  joyous 
and  most  blessed  time  I  have  had  in  all  my  life. 

"  The  work  during  these  two  months  has  been  heavy. 
I  have  attended  eleven  meetings  of  some  importance,  and 
preached  eight  sermons  for  other  congregations  than  my 
own ;  have  had  eleven  district  meetings  of  my  people,  at 
each  of  M'hich  I  have  given  a  long  lecture  on  India  ;  had 
the  happiness  of  shaking  hands  Avith  those  who  attended  ; 
have  taught  a  communicants'  class  for  five  nights  ;  have 
examined  each  of  forty  communicants ;  have  given  the 
Communion  at  ]\Iission  Church,  Barony,  and  Parkhead ; 
have  had  sixty  baptisms  or  so  ;  have  been  at  Balmoral ; 
preached  at  Uundee  ;  visited  friends  in  Fife,  Edinburgh, 
Helensburgh,  and  Shandon  ;  have  had  two  public  dinners 
given  me  ;  have  visited  with  my  wife  sixty  families,  and 
at  least  twenty  others  by  myself;  had  India  Mission  and 
other  meetings ;  and  had  a  delightful  lunch  in  my  house 
of  thirty  of  my  dear  brethren  ;  have  finished  my  sketch  of 
my  father's  life  ;  written  a  month  for  '  Home  Preacher '  (four 
sermons,  and  very  many  prayers),  besides  collects  and 
prayers,  which  have  finished  the  whole  ;  have  written 
*  Billy  Buttons  ;'  have  written  '  A  Pastoral,'  and  circular 
for  India  Mission  ;  have  this  week  got  two  licentiates  for 
the  Mission  Church,  &c.,  &c. 

"  In  short,  every  day  till  two,  sometimes  three,  some- 
times four  A.M.,  has  been  so  fully  occupied  that  I  hardly 
know  how  I  liave  a  brain  at  all,  for  the  above  is  but  an 
outline  of  work — innumerable  interstices  have  to  be  filled 

up- 

"  But  what  a  time  of  joy  and  thanksgiving  it  has  been. 
Take  this  last  week  as  a  specimen. 

"  Thursday  the  Presbytery  of  Glasgow  gave  me  a  dinner, 
with  Dr.  Jamieson*  in  the  chair.  He  spoke  like  a  Chris- 
tian and  a  gentleman,  and  the  whole  thing  was  dignified, 
Christian,  catholic,  and  good. 

*  Dr.  Jamioson  had  led  the  dehato  on  the  Sabbath  question  in  op- 
position to  the  views  of  Dr.  Macleod. 


INDIA.  259 

"  Tuesday  the  soiree  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  workers 
in  the  congregation. 

"  Wednesday  a  dinner  given  me  by  about  fifty  friends 
— such  friends — with  my  good  and  true  friend  Walter 
Smith  representing  the  Free  Kirk ;  the  Bishop  of 
Argyll,  a  truly  free  man,  gentleman,  and  Christian,  repre- 
senting the  Episcopal  Church.  Dr.  Robson  represented 
the  U.  P.  Church  ;  beloved  John  Macleod  Campbell  (the 
first  public  dinner  he  ever  was  at !)  representing  no  Church. 
There  was  a  troop  of  dear  friends  around  me. 

"  Thursday  Avas  the  Fast  ;  and  a  prayer-meeting  was 
held  in  the  evening  by  the  Presbytery  as  a  Presbytery, 
that  crammed  the  Barony ;  Dr.  Jamieson  giving  an  admir- 
able address,  and  my  friends  Dr.  Craik  and  Dr.  Charteris 
led  the  devotions.  What  a  Oflorious  siofht  of  Sfodliness 
and  brotherly  love !  How  truly  I  thank  God  for  this  for 
the  sake  of  the  Presbytery  and  Church  as  well  as  for  my 
own  sake  personally,  and  as  one  of  a  deputation  to  India. 

"  On  Friday,  the  presentation  of  portraits  of  myself,  my 
wife,  and  my  mother,  painted  by  Macnee  ;  and  a  marble 
bust  given  by  400  of  the  working-classes  to  my  wife,  and 
a  cabinet  coming.     God  bless  them  ! 

"This  day  I  had  in  the  Barony  some  1,150  communi- 
cants ;  in  the  Mission  Church  243  ;  at  Parkhead  85  ;  in  all, 
1,478.  Among  these  Avere  my  darling  mother,  my  wife, 
John  Campbell,  Mrs.  Macnab,  my  sister  Jane,  aunts — all 
beloved  ones. 

"  I  preached  on  Joy  in  God,  and  giving  of  thanks.  It 
was  not  written  ;  no  vestige  of  it  remains.  But  it  was  a 
great  joy  verily,  and  perfect  peace  to  preach  it.  I  never 
had  such  a  day  ! 

"  The  Mission  Church  was  crowded  in  the  eveninof.  I 
preached  on  '  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed.'  A  glorious 
text !  Dear  friends,  Mrs.  Lockhart,  the  Crums,  Mrs.  Camp- 
bell, were  there,  and  Peel  Dennistoun  (my  own  son),  who 
joined  in  communion  for  the  first  time  to-day. 

"  Again  I  say  what  a  day  of  joy  ! 

"  And  now  I  retire  to  rest,  praising  and  blessing  God. 
T.  0.  A.     Amen  and  Amen. 

"  30^/i. — This  is  my  last  night  at  home.    I  have  finished 

s   2 


2  6o  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

my  story  of  '  Billy  Buttons ' — how  I  know  not !  I  hardly 
recollect  an  idea  of  it.  To-day  visited  sick,  and  baptized, 
'&c.  1  have  had  a  happy  party  with  me:  my  darling 
mother — so  calm  and  nice,  my  aii^od  aunts,  my  brothers 
and  sisters — my  children !  What  a  blessed  meeting,  finished 
by  prayer.  I  wrote  thirty  letters  last  night,  after  meeting 
of  Session,  from  11  till  4  a.m. 

"  Thank  God  I  wrote  with  a  full  heart  a  most  cordial 
letter  to  Dr.  Duff,  but  it  grieves  my  soul  to  hear  that 
they  open  the  *  Free  Barony '  to-morrow,  the  day  I 
leave,  and  that  Dr.  Duff  opens  it !  Nine  hearers  only  left 
the  Barony  twenty-four  years  ago  and  joined  the  Free 
Church  ;  on  the  Sunday  question  not  one,  yet  they  build 
a  Free  Barony  !  Free  !  In  contrast  with  the  old  ?  In 
Doctrine  ?     Discipline  ?     Worship  ?     What  ? 

"  God  sees  nil,  and  He  is  better  than  us  all. 

"  I  have  left  everything  in  order.  I  believe  I  shall 
return  safe.  But  oh  !  those  I  leave  behind.  I  joy  in 
God  !  I  know  He  is  with  me,  and  will  guide  me,  and 
make  me,  poor  as  I  am,  advance  His  kingdom.     Amen ! 

"  W^hat  more  can  I  desire  ? 

"  I  bless  God  for  the  manifold  signs  He  has  given  me 
of  His  goodness.  My  Father,  it  is  all  between  me  and 
Thee. 

"  Father,  I  am  Thy  child  ;  keep  me  as  a  child  !  Amen 
and  Amen." 

"  Slst  October,  1  a.m. — P.S. — I  must  here  record  the 
pleasing  fact  that  two  engine-drivers  from  the  Caledonian 
Kailway  called  here  to-day  to  express  the  wish  of  them- 
selves and  comrades  that  I  would  speak  a  good  word  to 
their  brother  engine-drivers  in  India!  They  were  to 
send  me  the  names  of  their  friends  abroad.  This  is  very 
delightful  and  encouraging." 

Before  he  left  London  a  farewell  dinner  was  given 
in  his  honour  at  Willis's  Eooms,  at  which  Dean 
Alford  presided,  and  many  friends,  literary  and 
clerical,  were  present. 

The  effects  of  the  fatigue  he  had  suffered  during 


INDIA,  261 

the  last  few  weeks  told  visibly  on  his  health.  "When 
he  started  for  Paris,  his  limbs  and  feet  were  much 
swollen,  and  continued  so  nearly  all  the  time  he  was 
in  India. 

His  impressions  of  India  have  been  so  fully  narrated 
in  his  '  Peeps  at  the  Far  East  '  that  only  a  few 
extracts  from  his  letters  are  given  here  for  biographical 
purposes : — 


To  Mrs.  Macleod  ; — 

"  We  are  now  running  along  the  coast  of  Sicily.  The 
day  superb,  a  fresh  summer  breeze  blowing  after  us,  and 
every  sail  set,  the  blue  waves  curling  their  snowy  heads  ; 
the  white  towns  fringing  the  sea,  the  inland  range  of 
mountains  shaded  with  the  high  clouds.  No  sickness  ; 
cliildren  even  laughing.  Nothing  can  be  more  exhilarating. 
I  have  been  very  Avell,  though  the  limbs  are  as  yet  much 
about  it.  We  have  a  very  pleasant  party  on  board.  Such 
writing,  reading,  chatting,  laughing,  smoldng,  knitting, 
walking,  lounging,  eating  and  drinking  on  the  part  of  the 
seventy  passengers  you  never  saw ! 

"  I  am  getting  crammed  all  day  by  a  Parsee,  a  mis- 
sionary, two  editors,  and  a  judge,  and  already  know  more 
than  I  knew  before  starting.  Every  hour  brings  a  new 
acquaintance. 

"  Oh,  that  I  knew  that  you  were  as  I  am  !  and  my 
children.  Had  you  only  this  blue  sky  and  warm  sun,  and 
laughing  sea  !  It  is  the  ideal  of  a  day.  The  sheep,  and 
cocks  and  hens,  and  cow  are  all  happy,  and  the  boatswain 
whistling  like  a  thrush. 

"  Tell  me  always  about  the  congregation." 


To  the  Same  :— 

The  '  Rangoon  '  Steamer, 
\%th  Novemher. 

"  Preaching   on  board  has  been  a  difficult  task.     The 
pulpit  was  the  capstan,  and  it  was  intensely  ludicrous  to 


2  62  L  TFE  OF  NORMA  N  MA  CL  EOD. 

feel  one's  self  embracing  it  "witli  all  one's  might  as  the  ship 
rolled  to  leeward. 

"  Red  Sea. — I  preached  yesterday  nearl}'  an  hour  on 
deck,  hut  had  so  to  exert  myself  tliat  I  was  (juite  exhausted. 
Old  Indians  ministered  to  me,  and  poured  iced  water  ovci 
my  head,  and  gave  me  some  to  drink  with  a  little  brandy 
in  it,  which  quite  restored  me.  But  everything  savours  oi 
heat.  The  sea  water  is  hot.  The  crew  are  all  Lascars  or 
Chinamen.  Punkas  are  kept  going  in  the  cabin,  or  it 
would  be  intolerable.  But  I  just  thaw  on — laugh  and 
joke,  and  feel  quite  happy. 

"  It  was  so  odd  to-day  to  see  all  the  crew  mustered — 
about  fifty  blacks  in  their  gay  turbans,  like  a  long  row  of 
tulips,  with  half-a-dozen  Chinamen  with  their  little  eyes, 
broad-brimmed  hats,  and  wide  trousers.  They  are  most 
earnest  at  the  wheel,  and  are  the  steersmen." 

To  the  Same  : — 

On  the  Indian  Ocean. 

"  We  "were  immensely  gratified  by  the  address  ^''  which 
was  presented  to  us  by  the  captain  and  officers  and  all  the 
passengers.  It  took  us  quite  aback — its  spontaneity,  its 
heartiness.  I  send  you  a  copy  as  published  in  the  Times 
of  India.  The  original  I  shall  preserve  as  one  of  the  most 
precious  documents  in  my  possession.  I  told  the  pas- 
sengers that  I  was  pleased  with  it,  were  it  for  no  other 
reason  than  it  would  please  my  wife  and  mother,  and  con 
gregation  and  friends  at  home.  I  preached  to  them  with 
all  my  heart,  on  holding  fast  their  confidence  in  Christ — 
and  I  felt  the  j^ower  of  the  gospel.  It  required  all  my 
strength  to  speak  for  forty-five  minutes  and  the  thermo- 
meter 85  deg.,  to  about  a  hundred  and  sixty  people,  and  to 
dominate  over  the  engine  and  screw.      But  all  heard  me." 

Letter  from  Dr.  Watson  to  Mrs.  Macleod  : — 

On  board  the  Rangoon,  on  the  Inrlinn  Oeenn. 

Monday,  November  2oth,  1867. 

"  We  are  here  in  expectation  of  landing  at  Bombay  to- 
morrow, and  all  in  a  bustle  of  preparation.     The  fountains 

*  See  Appendix  A. 


INDIA.  2  63 

of  tlie  great  hold  of  the  ship  are  opened,  and  a  score  of 
fellows,  black,  brown,  copper-coloured,  of  all  dark  hues,  from 
soot  to  pepper  and  salt,  are  lifting  the  luggage  on  deck, 
from  one  tier  to  another.  Some  passengers  are  eagerly 
peeping  down,  to  watch  when  theirs  shall  appear ;  others, 
like  your  husband,  are  busily  arranging  their  cabin,  and 
gathering  together  cuffs,  ties,  caps,  coats,  hosen  and  hats, 
that  have  been  tossing  about  for  nearly  a  fortnight.  Nor- 
man, you  must  understand,  has  a  cabin  to  himself,  and 
this  arrangement  has  developed  his  admirable  habits  of 
order.  '  Come  here,'  he  sometimes  said  to  me  as  we  were 
steering  down  the  Red  Sea,  or  in  this  jileasanter  Indian 
Ocean,  '  come  here  and  see  my  draper's  shop,'  and  there  it 
was,  like  a  village  draper's,  with  all  manner  of  clotlies 
hanging  from  the  roof — here  a  shirt  hung  up  by  a  button- 
hole, there  a  neckerchief  tied  by  the  corner,  bags,  books, 
papers,  forced  into  unwilling  company  and  appearing  un- 
easy in  the  society  into  which  they  had  fallen.  There  is  a 
decent  black  hat  with  its  sides  meeting  like  a  trampled  tin 
pan.  '  Man,'  says  he,  by  way  of  explanation,  '  last  night 
I  felt  something  very  pleasant  at  my  feet.  I  put  my  feet 
on  it  and  rested  them — I  was  half  asleep.  How  very  kind, 
I  thought,  of  the  steward,  to  put  in  an  extra  air  cushion, 
and  when  I  looked  in  the  morning  it  was  my  hat !'  To-day, 
however,  everything  is  magnified  in  character  a  hundred 
fold.  I  have  just  stepped  into  his  cabin,  and  the  drajier's 
shop  is  like  a  dozen  drapers'  shops  ;  a  lumber-room  before 
washing-day ;  a  travelling  merchant's  stall  on  the  morning  of 
a  country  fair  ;  a  pawnbroker's  establishment  in  the  process 
of  dismantling,  will  give  you  an  idea  of  it.  There  is  not 
an  inch  of  the  floor  or  the  bed  to  be  seen,  all  covered  with 
boxes,  and  the  contents  of  boxes.  You  look  up  to  the 
ceiling  but  there  is  no  ceiling.  Never  did  a  public  wash- 
ing green  show  such  exquisite  variety,  and  for  two  yards 
outside  of  the  cabin  door  are  open  trunks  waiting  like 
patient  camels  to  be  loaded  and  filled.  '  Steward,*  I  hear 
him  say,  '  did  you  see  my  red  fez  ? '  *  Is  it  a  blue  one  ? ' 
is  the  counter  inquiry.  '  No  ! '  roars  Norman,  '  it's  a  red 
one.  If  you  see  it,  bring  it,  and  if  any  fellow  won't  give 
it  up,  bring  the  head  with  it.'      '  All  right,  sir,'  replies  the 


264  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

obsequious  steward.  '  Any  man,'  I  hear  him  say  again, 
any  man  who  tries  to  open  a  portmanteau  -when  it  won't 
open,  or  to  shut  it  when  it  won't  shut,  for  half  an  hour, 

and   keeps  his   temper '  the  rest  of  the   sentence  is 

drowned  in  the  laughter  of  bystanders.  Poor  man,  it  is  not 
for  want  of  muscle  and  labour  that  these  ill-conditioned 
jiortmanteaus  misbehave. 

"  We  have  had  a  very  prosperous  voyage,  and  a  very 
happy  one.  Long  talks  of  our  friends  at  home — now  in 
merriment,  and  again  pausing  to  let  the  corners  of  the 
eye  right  themselves — talks  of  what  has  been,  and  tall^  of 
what  we  expect  to  see  and  do." 


To  Mrs.  MACLEOD : — 

"  I  Avas  awakened  at  three  on  Tuesday  morning  by  our 
guns  signalling  for  a  pilot.  Soon  the  whole  vessel  was 
alive  with  excited  passengers,  and  sleep  was  gone.  The 
sun  was  rising  as  I  went  on  deck,  and  never  in  my  life  did 
I  see  anything  more  gorgeous  than  the  golden  clouds,  the 
picturesque  hills,  the  splendid  bay,  and  the  palm-trees 
everywhere. 

"  My  eyes  are  closing  with  sleep. 

"  I  am  writing  all  alone  under  the  verandah  in  Mr. 
Crum's  house.  The  shades  of  evening  are  rapidly  closing, 
'  for  in  one  stride  comes  the  dark,'  and  the  weather  is 
hot,  and  the  crickets  are  chirping,  and  the  musquitoes 
arc  buzzing,  and  the  sultry  air  closes  the  eyes.  I  must 
sleep. 

"  The  features  which  struck  me  most  on  landing,  and 
when  driving  five  miles  or  so  to  this,  w^ere  crowds  of 
naked  men  Avith  thin  lanky  legs,  some  with  huge  ear- 
rings or  huge  red  turbans,  not  a  stitch  on  but  a  cloth 
round  their  loins,  ugly  miserable-looking  creatures  ;  but  the 
Avhole  crowd,  Avithout  the  colour  or  picturesqueness  of 
the  East.  They  look  black,  ugly,  poverty-stricken  Avretches  ; 
tlie  native  huts,  such  as  one  Avould  expect  to  see  in  the 
poorest  villages  in  Africa:  the  streets  confused  rubbish,  un- 
finished, a  total  absence  of  order  or  anything  im})Osing, 
huggery-muggery  everywhere     The  one  good  feature,  until 


INDIA.  2  65 

I  came  to  Malabar  Hill,  Avliere  we  live,  is  tlie  glorious  masses 
of  cocoa-trees  and  palms,  here  and  there,  with  houses  or 
huts  nestling  near  them,  and  troops  of  naked  bronze  chil- 
dren runnino-  about. 

"  December  3,  Tuesday. — We  have  had  a  great  St.  An- 
drew's dinner.  Mornino-  meetinof  of  missionaries  of  all  de- 
nominations.  Dr.  Wilson  most  kind.  I  preached  on  Sun- 
day. Such  a  crowd.  The  governor,  commander-in-chief, 
and  a  number  of  high-class  natives  were  present.  I  never 
saw  such  a  scene.  Had  a  long  meeting  with  the  Corre- 
sponding Board  yesterday. 

****** 

"  Colgaum. — As  we  left  the  village  to  return  at  8,  the 
scene  was  very  striking.  The  huge  red  moon  was  rising 
over  the  village,  between  us  and  the  sky  was  the  outline  of 
the  temples,  with  banyan  and  other  trees.  Shej)herds  were 
driving  in  flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  while  in  the  centre  of 
the  picture  was  the  group  of  Avhite-robed  Christians, 
jjastors,  elders,  and  people,  with  the  missionaries  from  the 
great  Western  world. 

"  The  night  will  soon  pass  ! 

"  At  eight  we  returned  to  the  same  place,  accompanied 

by ,  who,  like  most  Europeans,  knows  nothing  almost 

of  the  American  ]\Iission  or  any  other  ;  and  though  seven- 
teen years  in  the  district,  had  never  visited  or  exammed 
into  it,  and  would  have  no  doubt  told  the  people  at  home 
that  they  were  doing  nothing.  He  confessed  his  surprise 
at  what  he  saw.  There  were  thirty  Christians  and  about 
seventy  heathens  present.  Psalms  were  sung  in  Mahratti, 
and  the  tunes  Mahratti  also,  the  precentor  being  a  pastor, 
who  accompanied  the  air  on  a  big  guitar,  held  vertically 
like  a  bass  fiddle.  Then  prayer,  then  an  address  on  Trans- 
migration of  Souls.  Then  one  by  a  famous  native  preacher, 
intehectual,  calm,  and  eloquent,  Ramechuna,  on  the  only 
true  relisfion  which,  he  said,  was  in  accordance  with  the 
character  of  God,  the  wants  of  men,  and  was  revealed  in 
Scripture.  Among  other  evidences  he  mentioned  the 
moral  character  of  Christians,  and  appealed  to  the  very 
heathen  to  judge  as  to  the  difference  between  the  native 
Christians  and  the  native  heathen.     1  gave  an  address  on 


2  66  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

both  occasions,  which  "vvas  translated,  and  so  did  Watson. 
They  gave  an  address  to  us.  The  Moderator  sent  in  his 
own  hand-writing  a  letter  after  me,  which  I  bog  you  to 
cojjy  and  keej)  as  gold. 

"  I  never  spent  a  more  delightful  evening  in  my  life  ! 
The  Americans  have  six  hundred  members,  seventy  or 
eighty  teachers,  six  native  pastors,  Avitli  excellent  schools 
for  Christian  children  only.     Preaching  is  their  forte. 

" ....  It  is  one  of  the  mysteries  in  this  land  to 
hear  natives  teach  Christianity,  who  have  been  possessed 
of  every  argument  in  its  favour,  for  ^^ears,  but  are 
as  far  from  accepting  it  as  ever.  Their  difficulties  are 
not  from  immorality,  for  their  lives  are  equal  to  the 
average  of  most  professing,  though  not  real,  Cln-istians 
at  home.  They  are  hapi)y,  on  the  whole,  in  their 
families,  live  all  together,  and  are  fond  of  their  rela- 
tions, and  are  sober,  and,  among  each  other,  tolerably 
truthful  and  honest — and,  on  the  Avhole,  faithful  servants, 
&c.  Nor  are  their  ditficulties  chiefly  intellectual,  though 
the  Christianity  which  they  oppose  is  often  misappre- 
hended— I  fear,  in  some  respects  and  in  some  cases,  mis- 
represented— by  missionaries  with  little  culture.  But  their 
difficulties  are  social ;  they  have  not,  as  yet,  the  deep  con- 
victions and  the  moral  strength  to  give  up  Caste.  This 
would,  in  almost  every  case,  imply  the  breaking  up  of  their 
whole  family  life — parents,  wife,  children,  and  friends  being 
separated  from  them  as  literally  out-casts.  But,  never- 
theless, I  cannot  comprehend  the  want  of  soul,  the  appa- 
rent want  of  a  capacity  to  be  possessed,  overpowered, 
mastered  by  the  truth.  IMany  will  fly  round  and  round  the 
light,  but  never  see  it.  They  will  give  the  fullest  account 
of  Christianity,  and  say  they  disbelieve  in  all  idolatry,  yet 
every  day  perform  at  home  their  idolatrous  rites — be  almost 
ready  for  ordination,  and  take  a  whim  to  go  as  a  pilgrim 
to  the  holy  cities.    Superstition  and  Fetisch  live  in  them." 

To  the  Same  :— 

Bombay,  December  1. 

"It  seems  an  age  since  I  left  home.  I  feel  as  if  I 
were  an  old  Indian,  and  had  become  familiar  with  hea*i  and 


INDIA.  267 

heathenism,  I  have  very  been  well.  The  swelling  in  my 
feet  is  as  bad  as  ever ;  but  I  have  no  pain  of  any  kind. 

"  As  to  our  work  here,  everything  has  succeeded  beyond 
our  most  sanguine  expectation.  We  have  seen  much,  heard 
much,  and,  I  hope,  learned  much.  We  feel  that  we  have 
done  good. 

"  I  communicated  yesterday  with  the  native  congregation 
of  the  Free  Church.     About  eighty  communicants." 

From  a  letter  of  Sir  Alexa]!ODER  Grant  to  a  friend  at  liome : — 

"  I  had  a  select  party  of  educated  natives  to  meet 
Dr.  Macleod.  He  talks  to  them  in  a  large,  conciliatory, 
manly  way,  which  is  a  perfect  model  of  missionary  style. 

1  had  the  most  charming  talks  with  him,  lasting  always  till 

2  A.M.,  and  his  mixture  of  poetry,  thought,  tenderness, 
manly  sense,  and  humour  was  to  me  perfectly  delightful. 
I  had  no  idea  his  soul  was  so  great.  His  testimony  about 
India  will  be  most  valuable,  for  he  has  such  quickness  of 
apprehension  as  well  as  largeness  of  view,  and  has  had 
such  wide  previous  experience  of  all  European  Churches 
and  countries." 

To  Mrs.  Watson  : — 

Bombay,  Novemler  2Wi,  1867. 

"  If  you  are  in  the  least  degree  inclined  to  pity  your 
beloved  absentee,  to  feel  anxious  about  him,  to  imagfine 
anything  whatever  wrong  with  him  in  soul,  spirit,  or  body, 
or  in  his  conduct  to  superiors,  inferiors,  or  equals,  I  beg 
to  assure  you  that  all  such  thoughtful,  spouselike  cares 
are  thrown  away.  He  is,  if  anything,  too  much  carried 
away  by  a  sort  of  boyish  enthusiasm  for  palm  groves,  and 
laughs  too  much  at  the  naked  wretches  called  Hindoos 
who  crowd  the  streets.  He  is  also  very  weak  about  his 
beard  ;  it  is  growing  so  rapidly  that  it  threatens  to  conceal 
his  whole  body,  and  to  go  beyond  the  skirts  of  his  gar- 
ments. All  you  can  see  in  his  face  are  a  mouth,  always 
laughing,  and  two  black  eyes,  always  twinkling.  But  for 
my  constant  gravity,  he  would  ruin  the  de23utation ! 

"  Those  who  don't  know  him,  as  I  do,  are  immensely 
taken  with  him  !" 


268  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  his  Mother  : — 

Madras,  2Zrd  December,  18G7. 

"  I  have  never  forgotten  this  anniversary  of  the  first  break 
in  our  family.*  It  was  a  terrible  time,  but  has  passed 
away  as  such  long  ago,  its  memory  associated  with  that  of 
a  saint  in  heaven,  and  many  spiritual  blessings  to  those 
who  partook  of  the  sorrow,  and  to  myself  especially.  I 
have  full  faith  that  all  my  dear  ones  above  sympathize 
with  my  work  here." 


To  Mrs.  Maci.eod  : — 

Eakgalore,  Last  Sunday  o/1867. 

"  I  have  had  a  peaceful  hour  for  devotion  ;  and  who 
but  God  can  interpret  my  thoughts  as  on  this  day  I  recall 
all  the  way  He  has  led  me  during  those  many  years — thirty 
Df  Avhich  have  been  passed  in  the  ministry — all  ending  in 
India,  with  the  greatest  and  noblest  work  ever  given  me  to 
do,  a-doing !  The  whole  review,  mth  all  its  sin,  its  dark- 
ness, selfishness,  vanity,  the  best  hours  how  bad !  and  with 
all  I  have  been,  and  have  done,  and  have  left  undone,  and 
all  I  am,  Avith  all  the  blessed  God  has  been,  and  done,  and 
is,  and  ever  will  be  to  me — all  this  finds  expression  in 
falling  at  the  feet  of  my  Father  in  adoration,  wonder,  and 
praise  ;  seeing  the  glory  of  salvation  by  grace,  of  justifica- 
tion through  faith  in  my  God,  of  the  magnificent  suitable- 
ness to  all  my  wants,  to  all  Avhich  ought  to  be  towards 
God,  in  Avhat  was  done  by  my  Head,  Jesus  Christ,  for  me, 
and  what  He  is  doing,  and  will  perfect  in  me.  I  have  had 
great  peace  and  joy  in  pouring  out  my  heart  for  His  grace 
and  guidance  that  our  time  and  talents  may  be  used  for 
Hi3  glory ;  in  confessing  our  sin  as  a  missionary  Church, 
and  praying  that  He  Himself  would  build  up  our  Sion, 
and  bless  us  by  enabling  us  to  take  a  part  worthy  of  a 
Christian  Church  in  advancing  His  kingdom  in  this  grand 
but  degraded  land ;  in  praying  for  j'ou  and  all  my  darlings 
by  name,  that  they  may  not  be  merely  well  instructed, 
polished  heathen,  but  truly  attached  to  God  in  faith  and 
love,  which  through  the  Spirit  are  in  Christ  Jesus ;  and 

*  His  brother  James's  death. 


INDIA.  269 

that  yon,  my  own  self,  maj'-  he  strong  in  faith  and  kept  in 
perfect  jieace  ;  and  for  my  beloved  people,  that  they  may 
be  ministered  to  by  the  Spirit  this  day  and  every  day- 
May  the  Lord  reward  you  all  — family  and  people — for 
your  love  to  me  and  prayers  for  me !  But  to  my  Mission 
work ! 

"I  wrote  to  you  up  to  Friday,  27th.  That  was  a  busy 
day!  Eight  a.m.,  till  ten,  visited  Dr.  Patterson's  medical 
mission  and  hospital  ;  eleven,  a  meeting  til]  one,  with 
about  thirteen  native  pastors  of  all  the  Churches,  in  the 
presence  of  the  European  missionaries.  Rajahgopal  and 
others  spoke  as  well  as  I  could.  We  asked,  and  got,  infor- 
mation showing  the  great  changes  which  have  taken  place 
in  the  native  mind  in  regard  to  persecuting  C(mverts,  &c. 
At  half-past  five  we  had  a  magnificent  meeting  in  the  great 
Memorial  Hall,  with  the  bishop  in  the  chair.  The  Governor, 
Commander-in-Chief,  present,  and  all  the  elitQ  of  Madras. 
I  suggested  the  meeting,  to  tell  on  Madras  and  Home,  and 
to  challenge  contradiction  on  the  spot  to  the  statements 
which  each  missionary  gave  of  the  history  and  condition 
of  his  mission.  I  spoke,  and  so  did  Watson.  The  Bishop 
is  a  most  Christian  man  :  his  meekness  makes  him  great. 
At  eight,  conference  in  our  Institution  :  dinner  at  nine. 
Pretty  hard  day  ! 

"December  31. — The  last  day  of  the  year!  It  is  im- 
possible to  write,  I  am.  weary  of  '  attentions ' — people  at 
breakfast,  people  at  tiffin,  people  at  dinner,  people  calling  ; 
then  meetings,  visiting  of  schools,  &c.,  &c.,  so  that  I  have 
not  one  second  to  myself.  It  is  now  two,  and  not  a 
moment. 

"  We  had  about  twelve  yesterday  here  to  breakfast — 
Wesleyans — one  of  whom  came  out  the  same  year  as  Duff. 
We  talked  till  one.    Many  of  them  did  not  seem  acquainted 

with  any  difficulties.      said,   '  I  go  to  a  village,   sit 

down,  tell  them  they  must  live  after  death,  and  for  ever 
be  in  hell  or  heaven,  and  then  tell  them  how  to  get  out 
of  hell  by  Jesus  Christ.'  Calvinism,  and  Plymouthism,  and 
indifference,  seem  to  divide  the  Europeans.  There  are 
noble  civilians,  and  bad  ones ;  fine,  manly  missionaries,  and 
weak  ones.     We  require  a  broad,  manly,  earnest  Christi- 


21  o  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

anity,  and  not  formal  orthodoxy,  weak  '  Evangelicalism,' 
or  sickly  Plymoutliism. 

"  We  drove  through  the  Rettah,  or  native  towTi,  with  its 
crowded  bazaars.  The  houses  are  low  and  the  bazaars 
poor  ;  yet  many  are  very  rich  in  it.  Saw  silk-weaving  by 
tlie  native  loom.  Saw  the  best  female  school  I  think  to 
be  found  in  India,  taught  by  two  truly  noble  women — 
so  clever  and  energetic,  such  genuine  ladies — the  i\Iisses 
Anstey.  They  have  money  of  their  own ;  their  work  is 
one  of  true  love.  What  teaching !  what  influence !  what 
power!  The  senior  class  of  fifty  girls;  the  junior,  with 
two  hundred  or  more.  I  could  not  puzzle  the  senior  class 
on  the  Old  Testament  from  Genesis  to  Samuel,  nor  on  the 
New  in  the  Gospels  and  Acts.  All  are  Canarese  ;  but  my 
questions  were  interpreted.  They  do  not  yet  profess 
Christianity,  but  never  can  these  be  idolaters ;  and 
whether  they  marry  Christian  husbands  or  heathen,  they 
must  exercise  a  leavening  influence.  My  heart  and  eyes 
were  full." 

"January  1,  18C8,  Bangalore. — This  is  my  first  greet- 
ing for  '68.  Our  plans  are  again  changed,  and  instead  of 
bringing  in  the  year  in  the  railway  we  are  spending  it 
calmly  and  quietly  here.  The  fact  is  I  took  a  disgust 
yesterday  at  travelling  and  work  of  every  kind.  We  had 
intended  to  tour  it  very  hard  till  Saturday,  and  to  go  over 
some  hundreds  of  miles  to  see  either  Seringapatam  or 
Tanjore.  But  because  we  had  rested  and  did  nothing 
yesterday  we  began  to  feel  weary  and  to  realise  how  we 
had  been  kept  up  by  constant  excitement,  and  that  we 
required  perfect  quiet.  So  after  our  things  were  packed 
I  took  a  fit  of  disgust  at  Idolatry,  Missions,  sight  seeing 
and  everything,  and  saw  but  one  paradise — rest — and  so  we 
return  to  Madras,  where  we  shall  have  little  to  do  till  we 
sail  on  the  9^^  for  Calcutta.  I  am  glad  we  did  so,  as  we 
are  enjoying  this  cool,  or  rather  cold  weather  intensely, 
and  doing  nothing. 

"  We  returned  last  night  at  8,  and  here  I  am  writing 
as  well  and  hearty  as  ever  I  was  in  my  life,  actually  en- 
joying the  weather,  so  that  I  bogged  them  at  breakfast  to 
stop  the  punkah,  as  it  was  makihg  me  sneeze.      In  fact,  I 


INDIA.  271 

am  getting  too  fond  of  India.  Take  care  you  get  me  home, 
as  they  are  spoiling  me  fast.  Actually  asked  to  a  ball  at 
the  Governor's  ! ! " 

Calcutta,  Jan.  IZrd,  1868. 
"  My  only  touch  of  illness  since  I  left  has  been  this 
week.  I  had  my  old  gout,  which  quite  lamed  me  and  com- 
jjelled  me  to  keej^  my  bed  since  Tuesday,  and  so  I  missed  a 
state  dinner  at  Government  House,  at  which  many  were 
invited  to  meet  us.  I  was  all  right  except  the  heel. 
But  you  Ivnow  my  love  for  a  day  in  bed.  I  had  twelve 
missionaries  in  conclave  around  me.  Church  Missionary, 
London,  Baptist,  Free  and  Established.  So  I  was  honoured 
while  on  my  throne.  One  old  missionary  was  the  friend 
of  Carey  and  AVard.  While  I  keep  my  leg  up  I  am  quite 
well,  and  shall  be  as  usual  to-morrow.  I  never  enjoyed 
better  health  and  spirits  ;  but  must  take  it  more  calmly. 
It  is  not  away !  A  public  dinner  is  to  be  given  us  on 
Friday  week.  We  leave  for  Gyah  on  the  3rd.  Like  a 
school-boy  I  say,  '  The  month  after  next  I  hope  to  leave 
India  for  home  ! '  " 

Calcutta,  ZXst  January. 

"  One  line  to  say  we  are  Avell  and  hearty,  very  hard 
wrought  indeed,  having  had  much  care ;  but  all  things 
going  on  well, 

"  All  parties  strive  to  do  us  honour  from  the  Governor 
and  Bishop  down  to  the  Fakir.     I  have  much  to  say." 

From  the  Friend  of  India,  Jan.  23rd,  1868  ; — 

*'  The  presence  of  Dr.  Macleod  has  cheered  many  a 
worker  and  helped  to  enlighten  many  a  doubter.  More 
remarkable  than  his  receptive  powers,  amounting  to  genius, 
which  enables  him  to  appreciate  the  merits  of  abstruse 
political  questions  ;  more  striking  than  his  marvellous 
conversational  gifts ;  more  impressive  than  his  public 
speeches,  have  been  his  sermons.  That  is  the  perfection 
of  art  without  art.  Of  his  three  sermons  in  Calcutta  two 
were  addressed  to  doubters,  being  devoted  to  a  semi-pbilo- 


2-1  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

sophical  exposition  of  onr  Lord's  Divinity  and  Atonement. 
He  spoke  as  a  man  to  men,  not  as  a  priest  to  beings  of  a 
lower  order  ;  he  reasoned,  as  one  who  had  himself  felt  the 
darkness,  avowedly  to  help  those  who  were  still  in  the 
gloom.  Affectation  seems  as  foreign  to  the  character  as  it 
is  to  the  thought  of  this  John  Bright  of  the  pulpit.  The 
lesson  taught  to  j^reachers  by  the  crowds  of  high  and  low 
who  flocked  to  hear  him,  was,  as  it  seems  to  us,  that  truth 
and  honesty,  guided  by  faith  and  unconsciousness  of  self, 
and  expressed  in  mnnl}'^  speech  face  to  face,  will  restore  to 
the  pulpit  a  far  higher  function  than  the  Press  has  taken 
from  it." 


His  "work  in  India  reached  its  climax  as  well  as  its 
unexpected  close  in  Calcutta.  The  reception  there 
accorded  to  the  Deputies  was  peculiarly  hearty ;  but 
the  fatigue  and  mental  excitement  produced  by 
speeches,  sermons,  conferences,  and  addresses  were 
excessive  ;  and  when,  to  mark  the  close  of  their  three 
weeks'  labour  in  the  capital,  a  public  dinner  was 
given  to  them — the  first  which  the  Governor- General 
ever  honoured  vritli  his  presence — Dr.  Macleod  made 
a  speech  Mhi('h  proved  the  last  he  was  to  deliver 
in  India.  From  Dr.  Watson's  account  of  the  work 
gone  through  on  that  single  day,  it  is  not  wonderful 
that,  at  midnight,  he  found  himself  prostrated  with 
illness. 

"  In  the  morning  he  drove  from  the  suburbs,  where 
he  was  living,  to  a  meeting  in  the  city,  where  ho 
spoke  about  half  an  hour.  From  that  he  went  to  the 
General  Assembly's  Institution,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  examination  which  was  held  of  the  various 
classes :  this  over,  the  advanced  students  of  the  Free 
Church  Institution  assembled  along  with  the  students 


INDIA. 


«73 


who  had  just  been  examined ;  and  in  that  great  hall, 
which  was  full,  and  which  accommodated  about  a 
thousand  persons,  he  delivered  a  vigorous  and  stirring 
address,  which  lasted  a  full  hour.  When  the  pro- 
ceedings came  to  a  close,  a  large  company  were 
entertained  to  lunch  by  Dr.  Ogilvie  at  his  house,  and 
then,  of  course,  no  one  cared  to  hear  anybody  say  a 
word  except  the  guest  of  the  day.  When  he  reached 
home  that  afternoon,  after  a  drive  of  five  or  six  miles, 
he  was  in  a  state  of  sheer  exhaustion ;  and  though  he 
was  most  nervous  about  the  evening,  he  tried  to 
snatch  an  hour  of  sleep ;  for  he  wished  to  do  perfect 
justice  to  his  work,  and  he  felt  that  in  one  sense  the 
work  of  his  mission  was  to  terminate  with  the  dinner, 
which  was  arranged  for  eight  o'clock  that  night,  when 
every  phase  of  English  life  in  India  would  be  repre- 
sented from  the  Viceroy  downwards. 

"  He  had  spoken  often  of  his  desire  to  give  expres- 
sion on  this  occasion  to  some  of  his  strong  convictions 
on  the  relation  of  India  to  England,  or  of  English- 
men to  India ;  and  though  he  had  had  an  opportunity 
at  a  large  meeting  previously,  presided  over  by  the 
Bishop  of  Calcutta,  to  speak  on  missionary  affairs,  he 
felt  that  the  last  occasion  when  he  was  to  open  his 
lips  in  public  before  he  left  Bengal,  was  one  which 
necessitated  a  wider  range  of  subject  than  any  eccle- 
siastical topic,  however  interesting  or  important.  His 
reception  in  the  evening  was  most  hearty.  He  rose 
with  a  heavy  sense  of  what  he  was  to  say ;  and,  as 
was  often  the  case  with  him  in  his  most  earnest 
moments,  he  started  with  a  few  unpremeditated 
strokes  of  humour  and  homely  words  which  touched 

VOL.   IL  1 


274  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

all  hearts,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  brought  himself 
into  rapport  with  the  audience  and  the  audience  with 
him. 

"  Only  on  one  occasion,  when  he  delivered  his  last 
memorable  speech  in  the  General  Assembly,  a  few 
weeks  before  his  death,  have  I  seen  him  so  agitated 
and,  to  use  a  common  expression, '  weighted '  as  he  was 
then;  and  it  was  with  a  deep  sense  of  relief  that, 
towards  midnight,  he  stretched  out  his  feet  and 
smoked  his  cigar  before  going  to  bed,  having  received 
the  assurance,  from  those  he  relied  on,  that  all  his 
anxiety  and  care  in  regard  to  that  last  appearance  in 
public  in  India  had  not  been  thrown  away." 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD : — 

CALCtTTTA,  *lth  Fehruary. 

"  On  comparing  this  date  with  that  on  telegram  you 
will  be  surprised  at  my  being  here,  especially  if  you  have 
read  the  Friend  of  India  and  learn  that  I  have  been 
'  prostrated  by  fatigue '  you  will  be  in  delightful  anxiety, 
and  my  mother  will  have  food  for  alarm  until  I  return 
home. 

"  Just  after  the  telegram  was  off  I  was  threatened  with 
dysentery.  So  the  doctors  gave  me  forty  grains  of  ipecacu- 
anha in  two  doses  in  a  few  hours.  This  was  on  Wednesday. 
I  at  once  said  Amen,  lay  in  bed,  obeyed  orders,  and  slept  all 
day,  read  newspapers,  &c.,  when  awake,  saw  no  one,  and 
thoroughly  enjoyed  the  blessed  rest.  The  complaint  was 
checked  yesterday,  and  between  the  perfect  rest  and 
medicines  I  feel  gout  all  gone,  and  except  the  weakness 
of  being  in  bed,  nearly  perfectly  well,  very  jolly  and  not 
the  least  dowie,  though  very  thankful  indeed  that  I  am  so 
well.  To  show  you  how  sensible  and  good  I  am,  I  have 
allowed  AVatson  go  oif  alone  to  Gyah,  the  only  really 
rough  and  rude  drive  on  our  route,  and  I  remain  here 
doing  nothing,  seeing  nobody,  in  the  full  rollicking  enjoy- 
ment of  idleness,  till  Tuesday  or  Wednesday,     I  am  even 


INDIA.  27s 

now  able  to  join  him,  but  I  take  four  days'  holiday,  though 
my  not  going  to  Gyah  is  a  terrible  loss  and  self-denial. 
This  will  prove  to  you  what  I  always  told  you,  that  I  would 
return  direct  home,  if  necessary,  the  moment  any  doctor 
said  or  believed  I  should  do  so.  Are  you  satisfied  ?  Don't 
you  feel  I  am  telling  you  the  whole  truth  ?  Look  at  me  ! 
Don't  I  look  honest  ? 

"  The  fact  is  the  back  of  the  work  is  broken  !  It  is,  I 
may  say,  done,  and  well  done,  and  all  to  come  is  plain  sail- 
ing, so  that  if  I  did  not  go  to  Sealkote  at  all  (but  only 
went  by  rail  to  Delhi  to  see  sights),  I  should  feel  a  work 
was  already  accomplished  far  beyond  my  most  sanguine 
expectations.  It  was  not  the  work  only,  but  the  excite- 
ment that  put  me  wrong.  I  never  preached  to  such  con- 
gregations. The  admission  was  by  ticket,  and  stairs  and 
lobbies  were  crammed,  and  many  went  away. 

"  The  Mission  Meeting  was  a  great  event.  Such  was 
never  before  held  in  Calcutta,  called  by  the  Bishop,  and 
attended  by  all  denominations,  and  such  an  audience  to 
welcome  us. 

"  Then  came  on  Saturday  an  evening  meeting  as  great 
on  City  Missions.  I  was  taken  all  aback.  But  it  was  a  great 
success,  and  they  tell  me  I  have  re-established  an  agency 
which  was  declining.  The  public  dinner  made  me  ashamed 
of  having  so  much  honour  paid  us,  though  it  was  given 
to  us  as  deputies.  The  Viceroy  had  never  gone  to  a  public 
dinner  in  Calcutta,  and  to  see  such  guests  meet  to  do  us 
honour  and  bid  us  farewell !     It  passed  off  splendidly  ! 

"  We  have  had  many  deeply  interesting  private  meetings 
with  missionaries — Zenana  included,  which  I  cannot  dwell 
on  ;  but  one  meeting  I  must  mention.  I  addressed  the  lads 
attending  our  Institution,  and  at  my  request  all  the  lads 
of  the  Free  Church  Institution,  who  understood  English, 
came  to  hear  me,  and  all  the  missionaries,  as  well  as  many 
of  the  ladies.  They  have  met  me  with  unbounded  confidence. 
They  are  a  nice  lot  of  fellows.  In  one  word,  God  has 
helped  us,  and  helped  us  in  a  way  that  quite  amazes  and 
overpowers  me.  May  He  give  me  grace  never  to  pervert 
those  great  tokens  of  His  mercy  to  personal  sectarian 
objects. 

T  2 


276  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  The  Bishop  has  been  very  kind,  and  Sir  Jolm  Law- 
rence 1ms  acted  like  a  brother  to  me  \  in  fact,  all  have 
contrived  how  to  please  and  oblige  us." 


Calctjtta,  Saturday,  February  9. 

"  Since  writing  to  yon  yesterday,  what  a  change  has  taken 
place  in  all  ray  plans !  I  intend  leaving  this  for  home  on 
March  3,  so  that  as  you  are  reading  this  I  am  on  the 
ocean  going  home.  Are  you  not  glad  and  thankful  ?  I, 
on  the  whole,  am.  It  happened  thus  :  last  night  Dr. 
Charles  said,  '  if  you  had  asked  me,  I  should  have  forbid 
your  going  to  Sealkote.'  '  Hallo  ! '  I  said  ;  '  asked  you  ? ' 
'  Take  my  word  I  shall  ask  you,  and  that  most  seriously, 
and  no  mistake.'  So  I  insisted  that  he,  Dr.  Farquhar,  my 
old  friend,  and  Dr.  Fayrer,  Professor  of  Surgery,  should  meet 
here  to-day,  and  give  an  official  opinion.  They  have  done 
so.*  They  don't  object  to  my  going  along  the  railway  as  far 
as  Delhi,  especially  as  the  climate  is  better  there  than  here, 
but  object  to  dak  travelling, — i.e.  going  in  a  cab  and  two 
horses  as  far  as  from  Glasgow  to  London  and  back  ! — in  my 
present  state ;  and  they  object  to  my  being  later  than  the 
first  week  of  March,  as  the  climate  might  from  present 
symptoms  prove  dangerous.  I  feel  thoroughly  well  to-day, 
except  weakish  from  so  nuich  medicine.  I  am  quite  lame 
again  in  the  heel ;  but  they  laugh  at  that.  Thank  God 
the  real  work  is  done  and  well  done  !  Had  this  come  on 
one  day  sooner  !  As  it  is,  I  am  full  of  gratitude  for  all 
that  has  been  done,  and  bow  my  head  for  what  I  cannot 
accomplish.  Dear  Watson  is  thoroughly  able  to  do  it  as 
well  as  I  am,  and  since  he  is  so  well  he  will  enjoy  it  as  I 
would  have  done.    Amen  !    Verily  God's  plans  are  not  ours." 

After  a  brief  tour  to  Benares,  Allahabad,  Ca-svn- 
pore,  Lucknow,  Agra,  and  Delhi,  he  sailed  from 
Calcutta  on  the  25th  February.  Owing  to  the  kind- 
ness of  Sir  John  Lawrence,  his  voyage  to  Egypt  was 

*  Soo  Appendix  B. 


INDIA,  277 

made  peculiarly  liappy  and  comfortable.  Lady 
Lawrence  was  returning  to  England  with  her  daugh- 
ter, and  was  to  sail  as  far  as  Suez  in  the  Ferose^  an 
old  man-of-war,  then  used  for  the  service  of  the 
Governor-General,  and  Sir  John,  with  a  friendliness 
which  was  heartily  appreciated,  asked  him,  as  a 
guest,  to  share  the  ease  which  the  roomy  accom- 
modation of  the  yacht  afforded.  The  perfect  rest  and 
comfort  he  thus  enjoyed  proved  most  helpful  to  his 
recovery. 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

"  I  parted  with  William  Craik,  whose  kindness,  constant, 
considerate,  unwearying,  was  that  of  a  brother  more  than 
a  friend.  I  cannot  tell  you  all  he  and  his  wife  were  to  me. 
The  Governor-General  came  down  to  the  Feroze  in  his  tuff. 
and  talked  with  me  for  about  two  hours  in  the  frankest 
manner,  giving  me  an  immense  number  of  most  interesting 
facts  about  his  life  and  government  in  the  Punjaub,  the 
mutiny,  Delhi,  &c.  I  was  greatly  touched  by  his  goodness, 
and  I  loved  him  the  more  when  I  saw  him  weeping  as  he 
parted  for  one  year  only  from  his  wife  and  daughter.  I 
cannot  tell  you  what  kindness  I  have  received.  Sir  William 
Muir  came  on  Monday  morning,  to  see  me  ;  and  Sir  R. 
Temple  came  the  night  before  I  left,  drove  about  with  me, 
dined  at  Craik's  alone  with  us,  aU  the  while  ffivingf  me 
volumes  of  information." 

The  only  adventure  which  occurred  on  his  voyage 
to  Suez  was  a  harmless  shipwreck  some  twenty  miles 
from  port,  caused  by  the  Feroze  running  on  a  sand- 
bank, and  having  no  worse  consequences  than  the 
delay  of  waiting  till  a  passing  steamer  took  off  the 
passengers.    He  was  met  by  Mrs.  Macleod  at  Alex- 


278  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

andria,  and  they  came  home  by  Malta,  Sicily,  N^aples, 
Rome,  Civita  Vecchia,  and  Marseilles.  In  spite  of 
some  benefit  derived  from  the  voyage,  his  strength 
was  visibly  broken,  and  his  limbs  betrayed  increased 
liability  to  gout,  accompanied  by  ever-recurring 
attacks  of  acute  pain,  which  he  called  neuralgia, 
but  which  were  really  due  to  a  more  serious  derange- 
ment of  the  system. 


To  Eev.  Dr.  Watson  :^ 

Fvhrunry,  1863. 

"  We  got  on  board  the  steamer — an  old,  broad-decked, 
strong-built,  and  high-masted  man-of-war,  with  a  huge 
steam-engine,  and  able  to  go  Avhen  we  started  six  miles  an 
hour.  India  soon  vanished  into  a  few  palm-trees  rising 
out  of  the  water  in  the  horizon  ;  and  as  I  thought  of  all 
we  had  seen  and  done,  and  not  seen  and  left  undone,  it 
appeared  a  strange  dream,  and  I  could  not  say  whether 
shame  and  confusion  of  face  for  my  wretched  work,  or 
great  thanksgiving  to  God  for  His  tender  mercy,  were 
most  in  my  mind.  Perha})s  both  alternated.  Anyhow,  I 
thanked  God  with  all  my  heart  for  His  having  given  you 
as  my  companion,  for  all  you  were  to  me,  for  His  giving 
you  the  honour  of  completing  the  work,  and  for  the 
happy,  happy  hours  we  had  together,  unbroken  by  a 
sinw-le  shadow  to  darken  our  sunshine. 

"  .  .  .  .  We  have  had  a  summer  sea  every  day  since 
we  left.  Some  days  a  glorious  breeze,  and  all  sail  set ; 
other  days  very  hot.  I  have  never  felt  vigorous  on  board, 
and  fear,  unless  it  is  this  hot  damp  climate,  that  I  am  in 
for  gout  and  sciatica  for  life,  and  that  I  never  shall  be  tit 
for  as  much  work  as  before.  But  we  shall  see.  I  have 
prayers  and  exposition  every  day,  and  find  it  pleasant. 
Sunday  services  as  usual.  Had  a  capital  day  with  tho 
sailors  last  Sunday." 


INDIA.  fjq 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD  : — 

"  Sunday,  March  8th. — A  glorious  day.  I  have  preached 
on  the  quarter-deck,  and  at  four  I  met  all  the  sailors  in 
the  forecastle,  and  read  to  them  *  The  Old  Lieutenant '  for 
an  liour  and  twenty  minutes  to  their  great  delight.  The 
sun  is  nearly  set ;  it  goes  down  like  a  shot  about  six, 
and  no  twilight.  The  sea  is  blue  as  indigo,  and  the  white 
crisp  curling  waves  add  to  its  beauty.  Two  white  birds, 
'  boatswains,'  as  Jack  told  me,  '  with  their  tails  as  marling 
spikes,'  are  floating  in  the  blue,  hundreds  of  miles  from 
land ;  thousands  of  flying-fish  skim  the  water  like  swallows, 
each  flying  about  sixty  yards  or  so.  All  the  sailors  are  in 
their  Sunday  best ;  the  Lascars  dressed  in  white  with  red 
caps  on,  squatted  in  a  circle  mending  their  clothes.  The  half- 
naked  coolies  and  firemen  lounging  and  sleeping,  or  eating 
curry  and  rice,  making  it  up  with  their  fingers  into  balls 
and  chucking  it  into  their  mouths.  Old  Pervo,  the  steward, 
dressed  in  pure  white  calico  and  turban,  is  snoring  on  his 
back  on  a  carpet  spread  near  the  funnel ;  and  I  in  my  hot 
cabin  writing  to  those  I  love,  and  wondering  if  I  am  indeed 
to  have  the  joy  of  seeing  them  again,  blessing  God  for  the 
health  and  perfect  peace  He  is  giving  me,  and  in  heart  try 
ing  so  to  adjust  the  difference  of  Longitude  (71°)  as  to 
follow  the  Sunday  services  of  my  beloved  people.  Such 
is  our  Sunday  at  sea  outwardly. 

"  Ceylon. — The  foliage  !  The  glorious  foliage  !  Every 
kind  of  tree,  palm  and  chestnut ;  bread-fruit  tree,  with  its 
large  furrowed  glittering  leaves — with  the  huge  dark 
fruit  hanging  by  strings  from  the  bark ;  the  graceful 
bamboo,  whose  yellow  branches  remind  one  of  old- 
fashioned  beds  and  chairs  or  sticks  ;  the  plantain,  with 
its  large  green  leaves  ;  down  to  the  sensitive  plant  which 
creeps  along  the  ditches,  while  beautifully  coloured  flowers 
and  creepers  colour  the  woods.  I  missed  the  flocks  of 
paroquets  and  bright-coloured  birds  one  sees  in  North 
India,  but  the  woods  resound  with  the  jungle  fowl,  and 
birds  with  sweet  notes.  Sunrise  from  St.  Nicolas  tower  was 
glorious.  The  sun  rose  like  a  ball  of  fire  out  of  the  sea  to 
the  right,  and  his  horizontal  rays,  shooting  across  the 
island,  separated  the  many  ranges  of  low  hills,  and  brought 


aSo  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

out  tliG  higlier  hills  to  the  north,  up  to  Adam's  Peak  fifty 
miles  off.  All  those  hills  are  covered  with  forests  of  palmr 
and  every  splendid  tree.  A  light  mist  lay  between  eacl 
ridge,  and  a  sleepy  radiance  of  wondrous  beauty  over  alL 
The  smoke  of  comfortable  cottages,  which  nestle  in  the 
woods,  rose  here  and  there  in  white  wreaths,  giving  a  sense 
of  comfort  and  of  home  to  the  scene.'* 


CHAPTEE  XXL 

1868. 

HIS  reception  by  the  General  Assembly,  wben  lie 
first  entered  it  on  his  return  from  India,  deeply 
touched  him ;  the  whole  house  greeted  him  with  an 
enthusiastic  outburst  of  welcome,  which  took  him  by 
surprise.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  he  de- 
livered, from  a  few  notes,  an  address  occupying  two 
hours,  in  which  he  stated  the  chief  results  arrived 
at  by  the  Deputation.  The  substance  of  this  speech 
was  carefully  prepared  for  the  Press  during  a  period 
of  leisure  enforced  on  him  by  his  medical  adviser, 
and  which  was  spent  in  the  Highlands.* 

Froin  his  Joubnai  : — 

"  June  ord,  Cuilchenna. — On  my  fifty-seventh  birthday 
(entering  my  fifty-seventh  birthday),  and  at  Cuilchenna 
once  more.  I  am  silent.  This  is  the  first  personal  and 
private  journal  I  have  Avritten  since  my  last  on  the  pre- 
vious page,  the  night  before  I  left  for  India.  What 
months  these  have  been  to  me  !  Is  it  all  a  dream — the 
voyage  out  with  Watson  and  Lang,  and  the  friendly  pas- 
sengers,  Bombay   and  Poonah,  and  Colgaum   and   Karli, 

*  Those  portions  of  his  address  which  touch  on  the  general  ques- 
tion of  missions  are  given  in  the  Appendix  B,  to  which  the  reader  is 
referred  for  the  results  of  his  inquiries  in  India. 


282  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

the  voyage  to  Calicut,  Madras,  Bangalore,  Vellore,  Cou- 
jeveram,  Calcutta,  Patiia,  Allahabad,  Benares,  Cawnpore, 
Luckuow,  Agra,  Delhi,  the  Feroze  ? 

"  Then  the  remembrance  of  that  meeting  -with  my  wife 
at  Alexandria,  and  the  good  Cunlities,  and  Cairo  and  its 
Oriental  glories  ;  the  voyage  to  Malta,  and  St.  Paul's  Bay ; 
then  Sicily,  Syracuse,  Catania,  railway  to  Messina,  boat  to 
Palermo,  and  the  drive  to  Monreale ;  then  the  horrible 
Carybdie  steamer  to  Naples  ;  Naples  and  Madame  Meuri- 
cotfer,  and  the  Watsons,  and  Dr.  Pincoffs,  and  Amalfi  ; 
Puteoli,  Baia3,  and  Rome  !  with  Strahan  and  Signer  Garo- 
faliiii,  and  all  the  glories.  Home  by  Civita  Vecchia,  Mar- 
seilles, Paris.  God  be  praised — God  be  praised  I  What 
a  time  of  joy  and  blessing  ! 

"  That  night  I  returned  was  indescribable — so  unreal, 
and  yet  so  real.  Never  was  there  to  me  so  dreamlike  a 
thing  as  Avhen  dear  friends,  deacons,  elders,  and  members 
of  my  church  and  working  people  met  me  at  the  railway, 
and  shook  me  by  the  hand.  Spectres  could  not  have  been 
more  unreal.  It  seemed  as  if  it  could  not  be  they,  and 
that  I  was  not  myself,  and  home  again.  India  seemed  to 
follow  me  up  till  that  moment,  and  Scotland  did  not  seem 
real.  The  present  was  not  as  the  past ;  and  then  the  ever 
memorable  supper  in  my  own  house,  with  my  mother  and 
aunts,  and  sisters  and  brothers,  and  children.  What !  was 
I  at  home  ?  Was  I  alive  ?  Had  I  returned  ?  Perhaps  the 
feeling  of  never  returning  to  which  I  clung,  somehow,  as 
necessary  for  my  peace,  made  the  return  the  more  strange 
and  incomprehensible.  I  cannot  describe  the  feeling.  It 
was  not  excitement,  but  calm,  dumb,  dream-like  wonder  ! 

"  And  liere  I  am,  with  a  full  moon  shining  over  Glencoe, 
and  all  as  still  as  the  desert — health  restored,  and  all 
spared  ! 

"  Oh  my  dear  Father !  how  I  thank  and  bless  Thee, 
and  record  Thy  goodness.  But  it  is  the  old  story  of 
Love!     T.  O.  A. 

"  I  wish  also  to  record  the  marvellous  manner  in  which 
my  people  behaved  in  my  absence.  Everything  went  on 
better  than  before  !  Few  things  have  helped  more  to  bring 
about  an  answer  to  many  a  prayer,  that  I  might  be  eual)led 


i868. 


283 


to  love  my  people  with  something  of  that  yearning-,  motherly 
feeling,  as  if  to  one's  own  children,  which  St.  Paul  had  in 
such  glorious  perfection.  I  feel  this  strengthening  of  the 
chords  between  us  as  a  great  gift  from  God.  Our  separation 
has  done  us  both  good  !" 

To  Miss  Scott  Moncreiff  : — • 

"  Many,  many  thanks  for  your  chit  (I  have  lost  my 
native  language).  I  have  so  much  to  say  to  you  and  to 
3^our  Indian  staff,  that  I  must  be  silent  till  we  meet.  I 
have  verily  had  a  memorable  time  of  it.      God  has  blessed 

us  and  our  work.      I  have  been  wounded  in  the  grand 

o 

campaign,  and  the  doctors  say  that  I  must  go  to  hospital 
for  months  to  come,  and  that,  to  prevent  evil,  I  must 
be  idle,  as  my  brain  cannoL  siand  consiani  demands  on 
it.  At  fifty-seven  I  am  not  what  I  was,  but  I  may  do 
work  yet  if  I  get  rest.  It  was  wild  work  in  India !  Do 
you  remember  the  Sunday  controversy,  and  how  I  was  an 
outcast  from  all  good  society  ?  Fancy  me  last  night, 
chairman  by  request  at  a  Free  Kirk  missionary  meeting, 
in  a  Free  Kirk,  with  a  Free  Kirk  lecturer,  and  only  Free 
Kirk  ministers  aronrul  nie.  and  receiving  Free  Kirk 
thanks  !  I  may  live  to  oe  a  J^'ree  Kirk:  Moderator  tiil 
the  next  time  I  am  caiieu  to  btand  aione,  and  then — woe's 
me!" 


To  A.  Strahan",  Esq.  : — 

"  Ideny  the  canon  of 
criticism  by  which  reli- 
gious novels  are  con- 
demned. It  would  ex- 
clude even  Christ's 
teaching  by  parables, 
and  would  for  ever  pre- 
clude me  or  any  minis- 
ter from  writinsr  stories. 
'  I  Stan'  on  the  head  o' 
my  fish  an'  wull  main- 
tain the  flukes  are  fresh 
and  gude/  as  a  Newhaven  fish-wife  said  to  mo." 


An  Editor  full  01  matter. 


a84  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  his  Mother,  on  his  Birthday  : — 

June  3rd. 
"  I  am  quite  safe  in  saying  that  I  have  written  to  you, 
say  forty  letters,  on  my  birthday  ;  and  whatever  was  defec- 
tive as  to  number  in  my  letters  was  made  up  by  your 
love.  Now  I  begin  to  think  the  whole  affair  is  getting 
stale  to  you.  In  short,  you  anticipate  all  I  can  say, 
am  likely  to  say,  or  ought  to  say  ;  and  having  done 
so,  you  begin  to  read  and  to  laugh  and  cry  time  about, 
and  to  praise  me  to  all  my  unfortunate  brothers  and 
sisters,  until  they  detest  me  till  June  4th.  Don't  you 
feel  grateful  I  was  born  ?  Are  you  not  thankful  ?  I 
know  you  are,  and  no  wonder.  I  negd  not  enumerate  all 
those  well-known  personal  and  domestic  virtues  which 
have  often  called  forth  your  praises,  except  when  you  are 
beaten  at  backgammon.  But  there  is  another  side  of  the 
question  with  which  I  have  to  do,  and  that  is,  whether  I 
ought  to  be  so  very  grateful  to  you  for  the  event  with 
which  June  3rd,  1812,  is  associated.  As  I  advance  in 
life,  this  question  becomes  more  interesting  to  me  ;  and 
it  seems  due  to  the  interests  of  truth  and  justice  to  state 
on  this  day,  when  I  have  had  fifty-six  years'  experience 
of  life  in  its  most  varied  forms,  that  I  am  by  no  means 
satisfied  with  your  conduct  on  that  occasion,  and  that  if 
you  fairly  consider  it,  I  feel  assured  you  will  justify  me 
in  demanding  from  you  the  only  reparation  possible — an 
ample  apology,  and  a  solemn  promise  never  to  do  the  like 
again !  You  must  acknowledge  that  you  took  a  very  great 
liberty  with  a  man  of  my  character  and  position,  not  to 
ask  me  whether  I  was  disposed  to  enter  upon  a  new  and 
important  state  of  existence  ;  whether  I  should  prefer 
winter  or  summer  to  begin  the  trial  ;  or  whether  I  should 
be  a  Scotchman,  Irishman,  or  Englishman  ;  or  even 
whether  I  should  be  '  man  or  woman  born  ;'  each  of 
these  alto^rnatives  involving  to  me  most  important  con- 
sequences. What  a  good  John  Bull  I  Avould  have 
made  !  what  a  rattling,  roaring  Irishman  !  what  a  capital 
mother  or  wife !  what  a  jolly  abbess  !  But  you  doomed 
me  to  be  born  in  a  tenth-rate  provincial  town,  half 
Scotch,  half  Highland,  and  sealed  my  doom  as  to  sex  and 


i8b8.  285 

country.  Was  that  fair  ?  Would  you  like  me  to  have 
done  that  to  you  ?  Suppose  through  my  fault  you  had 
been  born  a  wild  Spanish  papist,  what  would  you  have  said 
on  your  fifty-seventh  birthday,  with  all  your  Protestant  con- 
victions ?  Not  one  Maxwell  or  Duntroon  related  to  you  ! 
you  yourself  a  nun  called  St.  Agnese  ! — and  all,  forsooth, 
because  I  had  willed  that  you  should  be  born  at  Toledo 
on  June  3rd,  1812!  Think  of  it,  mother,  seriously,  and 
say,  have  you  done  to  me  as  you  would  have  had  me  do 
to  you  ? 

"  Then  again,  pray  who  is  to  blame  for  all  I  have  suf- 
fered for  fifty-six  years  ?  Who  but  you  ?  This  reply  alone 
can  be  made  to  a  thousand  questions  which  press  them- 
selves on  my  memory,  until  the  past  seems  a  history  of 
misery  endured  with  angelic  patience.  Why,  I  might  ask, 
for  example,  did  I  live  for  weeks  on  insipid  '  lythings,' 
spending  days  and  nights  screaming,  weeping,  hiccoughing, 
with  an  old  woman  SAvathing  and  unswathing  me,  whose 
nature  retires  from  such  attentions  ?  Why  had  I  for  years 
to  learn  to  walk  and  speak,  and  amuse 
aunts  and  friends  like  a  young  parish  y^'i^^ 
fool,  and  wear  frocks — fancy  me  in  a  /  Ni^*^ 
frock  now,  addressing  the  Assembly ! 
and  yet  I  had  to  wear  them  for  years  !  Wliy  have  I 
suffered  from  mumps,  hooping-cough,  measles,  scarlet  fever, 
toothache,  headache,  lumbago,  gout,  sciatica,  sore  back, 
sore  legs,  sore  sides,  and  other  ailments  ;  having  probably 
sneezed  several  thousand  times,  and  coughed  as  often  since 
christened  ?  Why  ?  Because  I  was  born  !  because  you, 
and  none  but  you,  insisted  I  should  be 
born  !  Why  have  I  had  to  be  tossed 
about  on  every  sea  and  ocean,  and 
kept  in  perpetual  danger  from  icebergs, 
fogs,  storms,  shipwrecks  ?  You  did  it ! 
Why  have  I  had  my  mind  distracted, 
my  brain  worn,  my  heart  broken,  my 
nerves  torn,  my  frame  exhausted,  my  life 
tortured  with  preachings  and  prepara- 
tions, speeches,  lectures,  motions,  resolu- 
tions, programmes ;  with  sessions,  presbyteries,  and  assem- 


28( 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


Ijli'^s  ;  with  all  Cliiirclics,  bond  and  free  ;  with  all  countries 
from  west  to  east,  with  good  words  and  bad  words;  with 
Sunday  questions  and  week-day  questions  ;  with  all  sorts  of 
people,  from  Trembling  Jock  to  the  Queen  ;  with  friends 
and  relations,  Jews  and  Greeks,  bond  and  free  ?  Why  all 
this,  and  a  thousand  times  more,  if  not  simply  and  solely 
because,  forsooth,  of  your  conduct  on  June  3rd,  1812  ? 
No  wonder  it  is  a  solemn  and  sad  day  to  you  !  No  wonder 
you  sigh,  and — unless  all  good  is  out  of  you — weep,  too. 
I  was  told  my  poor  father,  on  the  day  I  was  born,  hid 
himself  in  a  hayrick  from  sheer  anxiety.  He  had  some  idea 
of  what  was  doing.  But,  dear  soul !  he  always  gave  in  to 
you,  and  it  was  in  vain  for  either  of  us  to  speak.  I  am 
told  I  yelled  very  loud — I  hope  I  did — I  could  do  no 
more  then  ;  and  I  can  do  little  more  now  than  protest,  as 
I  do,  against  the  whole  arrangement. 

"  An  American  expressed  to  a  friend  of  mine  a  great 
desire  to  visit  Siam,  as  he  understood  its  people  were  all 
twins  !  The  thought  makes  me  tremble.  What  if  I  had 
been  born  like  the  Siamese  twins  !  Think  of  my  twin 
brother  and  myself  going  as  a  deputy  to  India :  in  the 
same  berth,  speaking  together  at  the  same  meeting,  sick 
toGfether  at  sea,  or  both  sufferinGf  from  o^out,  and  vou 
concerned  and  anxious  about  your  j)oor  dear  boys  !    What, 

supposing  my   twin   had  married 

Mrs.  ? 

"  j\Iother  dear,  repent ! 
"  One  good  quality  remains  :  I 
can  forgive,  and  I  do  forgive  you 
this  day,  in  pledge  of  which  I 
scud  you  my  love,  big  as  my  body, 
yea  without  limit,  as  large  a  kiss 
as  my  beard  and  moustache  will 
pern  lit. 

"  This  is  a  glorious  Highland 
day !  What  deUcious  air !  It 
blows  and  rains,  and  is  as  bitterly 
cold  as  the  most  ardent  Celt  could 
desire. 
"  The  amusing  prattle  of  eight  children  in  the  house, 


i868.  287 

craving  for  excitement,  with  nothing  to  do,  is  truly  sooth- 
ing, and  acts  as  balm  to  my  nervous  system.  The  sail 
yesterday  was  charming,  and  the  canal  boat  with  a  crammed 
cabin  and  heavy  rain,  was  too  delightful  for  a  gouty 
world. 

"  Glencoe,  if  you  could  see  it  through  this  thick  rain,  is 
grand,  and  the  rattling  of  the  windows  from  the  wind  quite 
musical.  I  am  trying  to  cure  my  gout  by  walking  in  wet 
grass,  so  keep  your  mind  easy '  " 

To  A.  Steahan,  Esq.  : — 

Friday, 

"  I  send,  for  yourself   only,    the   enclosed    hints  from 

.      Now  you  laiow    the    real  iove    that    he    has    to 

us  personally,  and  to  G.  W.  I  therefore  value  such 
hints,  though  I  confess  that  I  do  not  know  to  what  he 
alludes.  But  to  guard  against  the  possibility  of  a  single 
expression  being  printed  by  us  which  the  weakest  Chris- 
tian could  be  pained  by,  I  beseech  you  to  let  me  see  every 
MS.  or  proof  before  being  printed  off.  I,  as  a  minister, 
am  more  conversant  than  you  can  be  with  religious  topics 
and  the  pulse  of  the  religious  world.  Besides,  as  you  also 
know,  my  chief  delight  in  Good  Words  is  its  power  of 
doing  good.  God  knows  this  is  more  precious  to  me  than 
all  the  gold  and  silver  on  earth  could  be." 

To  Miss  Scott  Monceeiff  : — 

"  The  past  and  the  future  seem  to  me  to  become  every 
day  more  vivid,  while  the  more  immediate  point  is  more 
confused  and  vanishing.  The  old  home  in  Dalkeith  Park 
is  never  empty,  but  always  full  to  me  with  people  who  are 
always  happy,  and  can  never  die.  So  are  other  houses  of 
my  friends.  Thank  God  for  memory  and  for  hope  !  When 
these  earthly  houses  are  discovered  by  us  at  last  to  be 
empty,  and  all  our  thoughts  about  them  dreams,  then  at 
the  same  moment  we  shall  also  discover  that  another  home 
is  inhabited  by  the  same  dear  friends,  and  that  our  dreams 
cease  only  when  we  have  awoke  to  and  met  with  realities. 
My  dear  Norman  has  left  us  this  morning  to  begin  com- 


2  88  LIFE  OF  NORMA N  MA CLEOD. 

mercial  life  in  Liverpool.  He,  and  two  of  his  sisters, 
joined  us  on  Tuesday  at  our  winter  communion,  but  as  I 
entered  his  bed-room  after  he  was  gone  it  was  very  dream- 
like— *  lu  deaths  oft.' " 

From  his  JouilNAL  : — 

"Sunday,  July  19. — What  are  called  innocent  enjoy- 
ments, with  much  which  makes  up  and  adds  to  the  happi- 
ness of  life — poetry,  painting,  smiles,  and  laughter,  the 
saUies  of  playful  wit,  or  the  quiet  chuckle,  the  delightful 
emotions — half  smiles,  half  tears, — created  by  humour,  the 
family  fun  in  summer  evenings  in  the  open  air — all  that 
kind  of  life  which  we  enjoy  and  remember  with  such  enjoy- 
ment (albeit  mingled  with  sadness,  not  for  what  it  was,  but 
because  it  is  not) — why  is  this  not  nssociated  in  our  minds 
with  saintship  and  holiness  ?  Is  it  because  those  who  are 
not  holy  possess  it  all  ?  Yet  this  would  only  prove  the  libe- 
rality of  God,  and  not  the  sinfulness  of  man — or  any  incon- 
sistency in  saints  partaking  of  it.  Is  it  that  such  happiness 
is  sin?  This  cannot  be.  It  would  be  a  libel  on  all  our  instincts 
and  feelings  and  the  whole  round  of  life  as  appointed  by 
God.  Is  it  that  we  have  formed  wrong  ideas  of  saintship, 
and  created,  as  in  mediseval  art,  such  notions  as  would  make 
saintship  impossible,  or  utterly  outre  and  grotesque  in  the 
Exchange,  or  behind  the  counter,  or  on  a  Railway  Board, 
or  committee  of  Parliament  ?  Yet  it  is  in  such  places  we 
need  saints  most.  Or  is  it  that  we  make  such  men  as  the 
apostles  examples  of  what  all  men  should  be,  and  thence 
conclude  that  if  so,  the  life  I  have  alluded  to  must  be 
wrong,  earthly,  and  unworthy  of  men,  as  it  could  not  be 
theirs  ?  But,  again,  I  look  at  the  flowers  Christ  has  made, 
and  listen  to  His  singing  birds,  whose  bills,  and  throats,  and 
instincts  He  has  made,  and  con  over  all  the  gay  and  beauti- 
ful '  trifles '  He  has  attended  to  as  the  Maker  of  the 
world,  and  which  He  called  very  good,  and  in  which  He 
has  pleasure,  and  so  the  '  methodistical '  view  of  life  does 
not  hold.  But  may  not  a  life  in  harmony  with  this,  in 
which  the  small  flowers,  and  the  small  singing  birds,  and 
the  perfumes,  and  the  lights  and   shadows   and  sparkling 


i868.  28g 

waves,  sTiall  hold  their  own  with  the  greo,t  mountains  and 
mighty  oceans,  and  intellectual  and  moral  harmonies  among 
God's  great  beings,  be  the  normal  state  of  things,  and  be 
reproduced  in  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth  ?  The 
sorrows  and  sadness  of  Christ  and  of  men  like  St.  Paul  would 
thus  be  abnormal,  conditioned  by  the  evil  of  sin.  They 
would  be  as  the  sadness  of  a  family  because  of  a  death 
and  burial,  but  which  was  not  their  natural  condition.  The 
Avorld's  greatest  men,  in  God's  sense,  God's  own  elect  ones, 
the  kings  and  princes  of  humanity,  are  thus  necessarily 
the  greatest  sufferers.  It  is  given  them  to  *  suffer  with 
Christ'  as  the  highest  honour,  for  it  is  the  honour  and 
glory  of  seeing  things  as  they  are  in  the  true  and  eternal 
light  which  no  mere  man  can  see  and  live.  But  such 
men  must  die  and  be  buried  in  the  grave  of  sorrow, 
crucified  by  the  world's  sin, 

"  Yet  let  this  occasion  of  sorrow  be  taken  away,  and  why 
might  not  a  St.  Paul  be  a  child  again,  and  chase  butterflies, 
gather  flowers,  and  shout  with  joy  among  the  heather  ?  It 
is  a  great  gift  to  be  able  to  be  happy  at  all,  and  see,  how- 
ever dimly,  into  life  and  death.  Those  who  imitate  these 
holy  men  only  in  their  sadness  and  sorrow,  practise  a  vain 
guise,  like  a  mask,  and  fancy  the  signs  of  grief  or  grief 
itself  to  be  a  virtue,  and  not  a  misfortune,  and  glorious 
only  as  a  sign  of  an  inner  love — the  light  which  casts 
the  shadow.  Those  who  seek  happiness  for  its  own  sake 
and  call  it  innocent,  and  think  it  lawful  without  the 
eternal  good,  are  vain  as  larks  who  would  live  only  for 
singing,  and  silly  as  flowers  who  see  nothing  in  creation 
but  their  own  colours,  and  perceive  nothing  but  their  own 
perfume. 

"  A  mountain  once  rebuked  a  rivulet  for  always  foaming 
and  making  a  noise.  The  rivulet  replied  that  the  ocean 
often  did  the  same.  'Yes,'  said  the  mountain,  'but  the 
ocean  has  its  depths  and  calms  :  you  have  neither.'  " 


VOL.    IL 


290  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


"  SUBJECTS    FOR    SONNETS    SUGGESTED    IN    MY   WALK. 

"  Gailchenna,  July  21. — The  scenes  of  peace  and  beauty 
in  Nature,  resulting  from  the  great  cataclysms  of  the  past ; 
paralleled  by  the  peace  in  the  world  and  in  the  soul 
from  the  anguish  of  suffering. 

2. 

"The  force  of  gravitation  overcoming  the  storm  and 
waves  in  carrying  tiny  bubbles  out  into  the  ebb  tide  ; 
paralleled  by  the  power  of  faith  in  the  unseen,  in  those 
otherwise  weak,  as  a  power  striving  against  and  con- 
quering apparently  irresistible  opposition. 

3. 

"  The  light,  reflected  by  clouds,  climbing  a  mountain  side, 
illustrative  of  a  pure  mind  rising  over  mighty  heights  of 
thought,  and  revealing  their  beauties." 


"  I  see  a  field,  one  half  is  tilled 

And  may  give  something  to  the  baker ; 
"With  weeds  the  other  half  is  filled, 
Not  worth  a  halfpenny  per  acre. 

•*  I  won't  admit  that  field  is  good 

Because  some  good  things  grow  within  it- 
I  say  'tis  bad  for  human  food. 

And  getting  worse,  too,  every  minute. 

•'  The  owner  of  it  is  so  lazy, 

Yet  most  contented  and  pretentious, 
His  sense  of  duty  very  hazy, 
And  yet  so  very  conscientious. 

"  He  says  '  he  likes '  one  half  to  till. 

He  '  likes  '  what  gives  him  little  trouble, 
He  likes  to  follow  his  owr  will, 

He  likes  in  short  to  quirk  and  quibble. 

"  And  now  as  I  have  told  my  mind 

About  one-sided  plough  and  harrow. 
The  lesson  is, — I  never  find 

Men  very  good  and  very  narrow. 


i868.  291 


*•  One  half  theii-  Inzj'  minds  they  till, 
The  other  half  is  always  weedy  ; 
They  worship  idols   do  their  will, 
Are  often  wicked — always  seedy  ! 


To  the  Eev.  Dr.  Watson  : — 

CrrrLCHENNA. 

"  It  is  very  difficult  for  me  to  write  at  present,  as  a 
nervous  headache  sets  in  always  in  half  an  hour,  so  that 
it  is  impossible  to  v/rite.  It  goes  off  ten  minutes  after 
I  stop,  so  that  I  can  get  on  by  fits  and  starts  only. 

"  You  must  come  soon  again.  I  am  wearying  to  have 
a  talk  in  Sanscrit. 

"  '  He  who  talketh  Sanscrit  talketh  like  a  man,  but  he 
who  talketh  never  (like  me)  is  dumb.' — Hindoo  Proverb. 

"  '  He  who  is  choked  can  never  be  hanged.' — Hindoo 
Proverb. 

"  '  Heartburnings  cause  sourness,  and  sourness  is  never 
sweet.' — A  Scotticism. 

*'  My  head  gets  so  sore  when  I  try  to  write.'* 

To  the  Same  : — 

"If  we  could  only  get  half-a-dozen  truly  able  and 
enlightened  Christian  native  preachers,  they  would  soon 
settle  a  creed  for  themselves.  When  we  get  freedom  at  home 
as  to  the  subscription  of  articles,  we  shall  be  better  able 
to  work  freely  in  India.  The  chief  difficulty  in  the  way 
of  advancing  Christianity  in  India  is,  unquestionably,  that 
almost  all  the  missionaries  represent  a  narrow,  one-sided 
Christianity." 

To  Mrs.  MiCLEOD  : — 

Glasgow,  Wednesday. 

"  I  think  this  fit  of  sciatica  is  past.  I  had  a  queer 
night  of  it,  between  pain  and  sleeplessness. 

"  I  employed  part  of  my  idle  time  after  midnight  in 
arranging  the  drawing-room.  You  would  have  laughed  at 
me,  as  I  did.  But  I  could  find  no  rest  with  that  horrid 
neuralgia.     It  is  gone  to-day." 

u  2 


292  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Friday. 

"  I  got  sleep  from  seven  to  ten  this  morning,  and  I 
feel  better  than  I  have  done  for  weeks.  In  short,  after 
this  I  shall  have  a  lease  of  good  health. 

"  Kiss  Cuilchenna  for  me. 

"  In  the  meantime,  *  Good-night ! '  " 


^^&^ 


To  Mr.  Simpson,  of  Messrs.  Blackwood  &  Sons,  Publisliers : — 

Cuilchenna,  August  24. 

"  I  send  you  the  last  and  concluding  pages  of  my  MS. 
The  fact  seems  to  me  incredible,  but  it  is  true.  I  breathe 
more  freely.  My  soul  could  transmigrate  into  8vo.,  and 
lie  for  ages  in  a  minister's  library,  unread  and  uncut  like 
his  own  volume  of  sermons.  OjDen  the  parcel,  gently  and 
reverently  ;  '  there  is  a  spirit  in  the  leaves,'  but  one  which 
your  devils  alone  can  comprehend.  By  the  way,  it  may 
strike  you  that  I  say  nothing  against  the  devil-worship, 
so  common  among  the  aborigines  of  India.  The  fact  is 
that  I  respect  it  more  than  any  other  form  of  heathenism. 
Its  origin  is  Hterary.  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  that  the 
original  printers  of  the  Yedas  had  some  shocking  MS.  of 
Ram,  or  Krishnu,  or  Dasaratha,  or  Ikshwaku,  or  Yishnu, 
to  print,  and  they  manifested  such  genius  in  deciphering 
it,  such  patience  in  printing  it,  such  meekness  in  correct- 
ing it,  that  they  became  objects  of  worship.  The  '  Devil 
Dance'  evidently  originated  in  the  joy  Avitnesrcd  among 
the  printers  when  the  MS.  of  the  Ramayana  or  Mahabharat 
was  finally  printed.  I  respect  therefore  all  these  types  of 
the  devils  who  lived  in  the  days  of  Noah.  They  may 
have  been  the  '  regular  bricks '  of  Babylon,  with  their 
printed  sides. 

"  The  great  Sanscrit  scholar,  Dr.  ^luir,  must  know  all 
about  it.  Was  the  corrector  of  the  press  originally  the 
corrector  of  morals  ?  " 


i868.  Z93 


To  the  Same  : — 


"  I  should  like  to  see  final  proof  of  that  address 

" '  To  fight  the  battle  of  Waterloo,'  remarked  the 
Duke,  with  whom  I  humbly  but  firmly  compare  myself, 
'  was  nothing.  But  to  reply  to  letters,  criticisms,  &c., 
upon  it,  that  was  the  work  of  real  pain  and  difficulty.' 

"  The  Duke,  I  feel,  was  right ;  but  what  was  his  work 
to  mine  ? 

"  He  got  Water  loo*     I'll  get  water  hot." 

From  his  Jouenal  : — 

"  Cuilchenna,  Sept.  1. — This  day  ends  my  rest  since  I 
returned  from  India.  I  cannot  tell  what  these  months 
have  been  to  me  of  quiet  repose,  of  health  almost  restored, 
of  blessed  family  life. 

"  I  have  not  been  idle,  in  the  sense  of  doing  nothing 
but  amusing  myself.  I  have  hardly  been  a  Sunday  with- 
out preaching  somewhere  ;  once  on  the  green,  four  times 
at  Ballachulish,  twice  at  Kilmallie,  and  once  at  Fort 
William.  Above  all  I  began  and  finished  here  my 
'  Address  on  Missions,'  which  has  occupied  more  of  my 
thoughts,  and  given  me  more  trouble  than  anything  I  ever 
did.  I  have  also  written  a  chapter  on  '  Peeps  at  the  Far 
East,'  and  a  preface  on  the  *  Characteristics  of  Highland 
Scenery,'  for  a  Book  of  Photographs  illustrative  of  the 
Queen's  book,  with  some  songs,  and  letters  innumerable, 
besides  preaching  twice  at  home  and  attending  all  the 
meetings  of  the  India  Mission  Committee. 

"  And  then  we  had  our  evening  readings  from  Shake- 
spear,  or  some  other  worthy  book,  and  delightful  croquet, 
and  such  evenings  at  fishing !  never  to  be  forgotten  for  their 
surpassing  glory  ;  and  two  happy  visits  from  dear  Watson, 
one  of  them  with  Clark  of  Gyah.  It  has  been  a  heavenly 
time,  for  which  with  heart,  soul,  and  strength  I  thank 
God. 

"  India,  how  dreamlike ! " 

*  Avglice,  lukewarm. 


2  94  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  "VVe  need  not  build  memorial  cairns, 
Ah  no,  my  wife,  I  cannot  do  it ; 
For  should  wo  do  so  with  the  bairns, 
Some  day,  my  love,  we're  suie  to  rue  it. 

•'  If  each  dear  hand  lays  down  the  stone 
■\Vith  love  to  all  around  to  guide  it, 
Oh,  who  of  us  could  come  alone 
In  after  years,  and  stand  beside  it  ? 

"  There's  not  a  spot  around  this  place, 

There's  not  a  mountain,  glen,  or  river. 
But  shall  recall  each  dear  one's  face, 
And  memories  that  perish  never. 

"  On  every  hill-top  wo  might  raise 

A  '  holy  rood,'  though  I  would  rather 
We  gave  upon  it  daily  praise 

To  Him  who  is  indeed  our  Father. 

"  This  time  of  joy  in  this  dear  place, 

This  Sabbath  rest — to  Him  we  owe  it, 
And  not  the  least  gift  of  His  grace 

That  both  of  us  have  learned  to  know  it." 


"  A  word  alioiit  politics.  As  to  the  Irish  EstabHsh- 
ment,  I  am  ou  this  point  out  and  out  for  Gladstone.  A 
nation  must  choose  its  owti  Church,  and  for  all  such 
practical  purposes  Ireland  is  as  much  an  individuality  as 
India.  No  idea  can  be  right  "vvhich  practically  is  so  offen- 
sive to  common  sense  and  to  jcdr  'play  as  the  Irish  Esta- 
blishment. Had  the  rest  of  Britain  been  lloman  Catholic, 
how  should  Ave  Presbyterians  have  liked  the  Estabhsh- 
ment  of  a  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  Scotland,  with 
two  millions  of  Presbyterians  and  one  million  of  Roman 
Catholics  ?  We  drove  out  the  Episcopal  Protestant 
Church  when  it  was  out  of  harmony  with  the  mind  oi 
the  nation.  To  square  the  Protestant  Establishment  with 
Protestants  Avon't  do.  It  is  an  offence  as  a  privileged 
Church  to  those  subjects  Avho  do  not  beheve  in  its  teach- 
ing, and  to  Avhom  it  is  no  Church  at  all.  If  the  Church 
of  Scotland  is  in  the  same  condition,  Avhich  I  deny, 
let  it  go.  Justice  must  bo  done.  The  age  of  selfish 
monopolies  of  every  kind  is  gone.     Let  it  go.     Christianity 


i868.  295 

implies  a  giving  all  we  can,  a  sharing  all  possible  good 
with  others.  To  fear  Romanism!  I  am  ashamed. 
Having  ceased  long  ago  to  fear  the  devil,  I  can  be  fright- 
ened by  nothing  more.  No  evil  need  be  feared,  so  long 
as  good  is  loved.  All  evil  is  doomed ;  God  is  on  the 
side  of  truth  alone. 

"  All  true  politics  should  be  in  the  line  of  making  all 
the  good  possessed  by  the  nation  or  m  the  nation,  as  much 
as  possible  a  common  good.  No  institution  can  be  right- 
eously defended  unless  it  can  be  proved  to  benefit  the 
country  more  than  its  destruction  could  do," 

To  Eey.  Dr.  Watson  : — 

CinLCHEisnsrA,  September,  1868. 

"  There  is  nothinsr  I  believe  niore  firmlv  than  that 
what  is  needed  is  that  a  man  seek  to  know,  believe,  and 
act  out  the  truth  as  he  best  can  ;  and  I  rejoice  in  the 
thought  that  thus  the  great  stones  which  build  uj)  the 
mighty  Temple  are  cemented  by  thin  layers,  unseen  by 
human  eye,  of  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  unloiown 
but  great,  because  humble,  men  and  women. 

"  My  highest  ambition  ought  to  be,  and  in  a  feeble 
sense  is,  to  be  a  humble  man,  which  I  am  not.  Although, 
being  not  so,  I  would  not  like  you  to  agree  with  me  !  I 
hope,  hov/ever,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  be  able  at  last  to 
creep  into  a  doorkeeper's  place  in  the  house  of  God,  or  to 
be  among  the  lowest  guests  in  the  lowest  room.  '  It  will 
wonder  me,'  as  the  Germans  say,  should  it  be  so  in  the 
end." 

To  Mrs.  Macleod  : — 

Abergeldijg,  September  14,  1868. 

"  I  am  much  the  better  for  this  trip.  The  air  is  cold 
and  bracing.  No  strangers.  All  most  Idnd.  The  Duke 
of  Edinburgh  is  here. 

"  I  preached  happily.  The  Prince  spoke  to  me  about 
preaching  only  twenty  minutes.  I  told  him  I  was  a 
Thomas  a  Becket,  and  would  resist  the  interference  of 
the  State,  and  that  neither  he  nor  any  of  the  party  had 
anything  better  to  do  than  hear  me.     So  I  preached  for 


296  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

forty-seven  minutes,  and  tliey  were  kind  enough  to  say 
tbey  wished  it  had  been  longer. 

"  The  Prince's  whole  views  as  to  his  duty  to  Scotland 
and  Ireland  as  well  as  England,  were  very  high.  He 
spoke  most  kindly  and  wisely  of  Ireland,  and  seems 
determined  to  run  all  risks  (as  he  did)  to  do  his  duty  to 
her." 

From  his  JouRNAli : — 

"  The  Moderatorship  has  been  offered  me  by  the  Old 
Moderators,  and  I  at  first,  by  word  and  letter,  out  and 
out  refused  it.  I  did  so  chiefly  on  the  ground  of  my 
desire  for  freedom  in  the  expression  of  my  personal 
opinions,  without  involving  the  Church  as  its  representa- 
tive, and  as  also  a  writer  of  whims,  crotchets,  songs  and 
stories,  and  the  editor  of  Good  Words.  But  it  was 
strongly  represented  to  me  by  old  Moderators  that  I  ought 
and  must  accept — that  it  was  a  duty  to  accept,  which  is  a 
very  different  thing  from  a  mere  compliment.  Well,  they 
know  all  about  me,  and  the  worst  about  me,  and  if,  know- 
ing this,  they  hke  to  take  me,  it  is  their  own  look  out. 
I  was  free  to  accept  it,  which  I  latterly  did,  feeling  very 
much  the  generosity  of  the  Church  in  so  acting  to  me. 
I  feel  that  I  won't  betray  them,  as  I  have  no  object  but 
the  good  of  my  dear  Church,  and,  if  possible,  my  still 
dearer  country." 

"  Nov.  24. — My  family  left  Cuilchenna  at  the  end  of 
September.  *  I  was  obliged  to  leave  sooner,  and  felt  as 
stiff  and  gouty  at  the  end  as  the  beginning." 


CHAPTEE  XXIL 

MODERATOESHIP  AND  PATRONAGE. 

1869—70. 

IS  unanimous  election  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  1869  to  the  dignity  of  Moderator  gave  him 
no  ordinary  satisfaction.  The  event  was  gratifying 
in  itself ;  but  it  was  specially  valued  as  a  token  of 
the  liberality  of  the  Church,  which  could  bestow  such 
an  honour  on  one  who  had  so  recently  fought  for  free- 
dom at  the  risk  of  losing  his  ministerial  position,  and 
was  highly  appreciated  as  a  mark  of  confidence  in  his 
personal  loyalty  and  attachment  to  the  Chui'ch. 

From  his  JomiNAii : — 

"  April  8th. — It  is  a  deep  working  out  of  love  to  say 
or  do  from  true  love  that  which  may  cause  the  object  of 
love  to  manifest  hate  to  us  and  yet  to  love  him  in  spite  of 
his  hate. 

"  How  wonderful  is  the  love  which  can  discern  and 
accept  of  the  love  of  God  revealed  in  and  by  deepest 
suffering,  and  which  rejoices  in  the  love  in  spite  of  the 
suffering  !  '  He  took  the  cup '  and  '  took  the  bread,' 
symbols  of  a  broken  body  and  shed  bood,  and  'gave 
thanks  ! ' 

"  Love  is  the  only  way  along  which  the  whole  Avorld 
may  reach  greatness.     The  proud  despise  it  as  too  common 


298 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


and  vulgar.  Tboy  prefer  to  reach  it  by  way  of  genius  or 
talent. 

"...  See  clearly  what  you  wish.  Sincerely  desire  that 
others  should  see  it  also  and  seek  it.  Helj)  to  bring  them 
into  this  mind  by  perfect  truth  and  candour,  patience, 
meekness,  resi^ect  and  tender  consideration  for  their 
feelings  and  their  prejudices.  Never  despair,  and  believ- 
ing in  God  and  His  good-will  to  man,  be  sure  that  the 
right  will  come  right. 

"  Deal  with  otliers  as  God  deals  with  you,  and  all  will 
be  done  with  truth  and  charity  and  jmtience.  Want  of 
candour  and  want  of  confidence  in  our  fellow-men  hinder 
and  weaken  us. 

"  I  believe  Ave  would  always  gain  right  ends  sooner, 
whether  political  or  ecclesiastical,  if  we  openly  declared 
what  we  wanted,  and  made  no  mystery  of  it.  Wrong 
alone  fears  the  light.  '  Policy,'  in  most  cases,  if  not  in  all, 
belongs  to  the  devil  and  darkness.  It  creates  the  very 
suspicions  Avhich  it  endeavours  to  conquer." 

To  A.  Stkaiiax,  Esq.  : — 

Shanpon. 
"■  I  have  come  here  for  a  quiet  day's  work.      I  send  you 
a  morsel  to  keep  your  printer's  devils  going.     I  shall  send 
as  much  more  to-morrow." 


The  Old  Ouai-d. 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  aqg 

From  his  Journal  : — 

"May  18th,  Tuesday. — I  record  my  gratitude  to  God 
for  tlie  quiet  and  comparatively  unbroken  fortnigiit  I  have 
had,  and  the  measure  of  good  heahh  also  given  me,  and 
the  peace  of  mind  to  prepare  my  long  address  for  the 
Assembly.  I  go  to-morrow  to  reach  the  highest  point  in 
my  public  life.  My  mother,  dear  one  !  wife  and  nine 
children,  aunts,  brothers,  sisters,  nephews  and  nieces,  and 
troops  of  friends  to  be  with  me.  What  a  height  of 
mercy  !  Oh,  may  this  be  a  talent  used  lovingly,  humbly, 
and  unselfishly  for  His  glory !  Such  is  my  earnest 
desire." 

In  giving  the  customary  address  at  the  close  of  the 
Assembly,  he  took  the  opportunity  of  uttering  his  con- 
victions on  several  important  matters  of  ecclesiastical 
policy.  Among  other  points  he  noticed  certain  charac- 
teristics of  the  age  of  which  he  thought  account  should 
be  taken  by  the  Church. 

"  1. — The  aGfe  in  which  we  live  is  one  of  searching  in- 
quiry  in  regard  to  truth.  We  do  not  complain  of  this ; 
for  however  perverted  the  spirit  may  sometimes  become, 
and  however  much  it  may  manifest  mere  discontent  with 
things  as  they  are,  yet  the  spirit  itself  in  its  essence  is 
good,  and  should  be  hailed  by  all  who  love  the  true  and 
the  right  for  their  OAvn  sakes,  be  the  consequences  to  them- 
selves what  they  may. 

"  2. — Another  characteristic  of  our  time  may  be  de- 
scribed as  a  jealousy  of  all  monopolies,  of  all  privileges 
which  would  secure  good  to  the  few,  at  the  expense, 
directly  or  indirectly,  of  the  many.  And  this  is  being 
applied  to  existing  Church  Establishments.  Treaties 
of  union,  Acts  of  Parliament,  and  the  like,  however  in- 
valuable they  may  be,  even  as  means  of  securing  time  for 
discussion,  or  as  affording  the  strongest  possible  grounds 
for  a  patient  and  considerate  policy,  must  ultimately  yield 
to  the  prime  question  of  political  justice  as  decided  by  a 
national  jury.     The  country  will  determine,  wisely  or  un- 


300  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD, 

wisely,  what  it  deems  best,  not  for  this  or  that  class,  this 
or  that  denomination,  but  for  the  general  good.  And  I 
miijht  add,  that  establishments  of  religion  are  henceforth 
likely  to  be  dealt  with,  not  according  to  an  imperial  policy 
which  recognises  the  unity  of  tlie  State,  but  with  reference 
to  the  wants  and  expressed  wishes  of  each  separate  nation- 
ality, so  to  speak,  whether  of  Scotland,  England,  or  Ireland, 
in  Avhicli  they  respectively  exist.  On  this  principle  the 
Church  of  Ireland  has  been  dealt  with,  not  as  an  Establish- 
ment connected  with  the  Church  of  England,  for  less  as 
connected  with  the  Establishment  of  Scotland,  but  merely 
with  reference  to  its  suitableness  for  Ireland,  as  determined 
by  its  past  history,  present  position,  and  future  prospects. 
And  thus,  too,  must  the  Churches  of  Scotland  and  England 
in  the  long-run  be  tried,  each  on  its  own  merits,  each 
according  to  its  adaj^tation  to  the  religious  wants  of  the 
country  in  which  it  exists.  Now  this  is  a  principle  of 
which  national  Churches  should  not  complain,  inasmuch 
as  their  power  and  efficiency  are  inseparable  from  the 
fact  of  their  being  acceptable  to  the  nation  as  a  Avhole.  If 
by  any  fault  of  theirs  they  lose  the  confidence  of  the  nation, 
or  fail  to  recover  it  after  a  fair  trial,  their  continuance  is 
more  than  imperilled,  seeing  that  they  exist  for  the  nation, 
and  not  the  nation  for  them." 

"  For  myself,"  he  said,  in  reference  to  the  question  of 
Subscription,  **  I  confess  that  I  do  not  see  how  the  Church 
of  Christ,  or  any  section  of  it,  as  a  society  professedly 
founded  on  the  teaching  of  Christ  and  His  apostles,  and 
having  a  history  since  the  day  of  Pentecost,  can  exist  with- 
out a  creed  expressed  or  administered  in  some  form  or 
other.  As  far  as  I  know,  the  Church  has  ahvays  had  some 
test  for  the  doctrinal  beliefs  of  its  teachers  and  members,  or 
for  their  beliefs  of  the  historic  facts  of  the  New  Testament 
which  constitute  the  basis  of  objective  Christianity.*  More- 
over, the  theory  held  by  us,  as  an  Established  Church,  im- 
plies that  the  State  ought  to  know  what  are  the  doctrines 
professed  by  the  Church  which  it  proposes  to  establish. 

*  Jolin  ii.  10,  11 ;  1  John  iv.  1  ;  2  Tctor  ii.  1  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  8. 


MOD  ERA  TORSHIP  AND  PA  TRONA  GE.  301 

Hence  those  doctrines  when  mutually  agreed,  upon,  become 
the  law  at  once  of  the  Church  and  of  the  State. 

"  What  therefore  in  these  circumstances  can  he  done  by 
our  National  Church  ?  Shall  we,  for  examjDle,  compel 
every  minister  under  pain  of  dismissal,  or  of  incurring 
charges  of  dishonesty,  to  accept  every  statement,  every 
alleged  fact,  every  argument  for  doctrine,  and  deduction 
from  doctrine,  and  proof  of  doctrine  to  be  found  in  the 
Confession  ?  Is  this  what  the  Church  really  means  before 
God  when  it  usee  the  formula  ?  And  do  we  practically 
make  no  distinction  between  those  things  on  which 
Christians,  the  most  learned  and  the  most  holy,  may  and 
do  differ  in  all  Evangelical  churches,  and  those  doctrines 
on  which,  as  a  whole,  all  are  at  one  ?  Possibly  we  may 
obtain  honest  agreement  in  minute  details,  but  I  fear  it 
will  only  be  on  the  part  of  the  very  few,  of  the  very  ignorant, 
thus  necessarily  creating  the  dead  unity  of  a  churchyard, 
rather  than  the  living  unity  of  a  Church,  and  fostering  a 
faith  like  that  of  Romanists,  which  rests  practically  upon 
mere  Church  authority.  It  appears  to  me  that  the 
quantity  or  quality  of  any  confession  to  those  wlio  thus 
receive  it,  is  of  no  more  importance  than  the  quantity  or 
quality  of  food  is  to  a  man  who  only  carries  it,  but  does  not 
eat  it.  But  on  the  other  hand  is  it  possible  without  running 
still  greater  risks  for  a  Church  to  give  official  permission 
to  any  office-bearer  to  make  this  distinction  between 
Essentials  and  Non-Essentials  ?  Then  where  is  the  line  to 
be  drawn  ?  And  what  value  Avould  there  be  in  this  case 
in  any  Confession  at  all  ?  Might  not  the  most  dangerous 
and  Anti-Christian  opinions  be  preached  in  our  pulpits, 
and  the  result  be  that  to  include  sceptics  we  practically 
exclude  true  believers  ?  It  is  much  easier  for  some  to 
sneer  at  creeds  altogether,  and  for  others  to  raise  a  cry  of 
horror  as  if  God's  Word  was  attacked  when  a  doubt  re- 
garding them  is  expressed,  than  for  both  parties  to  carry 
the  burthen  of  fair  and  candid  men,  seriously  considering 
the  difficulty  and  suggesting  such  a  solution  of  it  as  may 
satisfy  our  sense  of  truth  in  regard  to  ourselves,  and  our 
sense  of  justice  and  charity  towards  others. 

"  And  now  let  me  ask  with  unfeigned  humility  and  with 


302  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

a  full  sense  of  the  difficulties  which  I  have  imlicated, 
whether  a  practical  solution,  if  not  a  logical  one,  mav  not, 
on  the  one  hand,  be  found  in  common  sense  and  spiritual 
tact  and  Christian  honour  on  the  part  of  those  who,  with 
doubts  and  difficulties,  desire  to  enter  or  to  remain  in  the 
Church,  and  that  from  no  selfish  motive  ;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  by  the  exercise  of  those  same  gifts  and  graces 
towards  such  individuals  on  the  part  of  the  Church  ?  The 
minister  can  thus  easily  determine  for  himself  how  far  he 
honestly  agrees  with  the  teaching  and  doctrine  of  the 
Church,  or  cordially  accepts  it  as  that  Avliich  has  been 
recognised  as  constituting  the  essentials  of  Christianity  by- 
the  whole  Catholic  Church  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles  ; 
while  the  Church,  retaining  her  power  to  exercise  discipline 
in  every  case  of  departure  from  the  Confession,  may  also 
exercise  due  caution,  charity,  and  forbearance." 

The  Dean  of  Westminster,  who  was  present  at 
several  meetings  of  the  General  Assembly,  after- 
wards addressed  the  following  letter  to  Dr.  ]Maeleod 
as  Moderator : — 

From  Dean  Stanley  : — 

Deanery,  Westminster. 

"  My  dear  jModerator, 

"  I  was  obliged  to  leave  in  such  haste  on  Friday,  as 
to  have  had  no  time  to  thank  you  for  the  great  kindness 
of  the  past  Aveek, 

"  It  Avas  a  sincere  grief  and  disappointment  to  me  not 
to  be  able  to  be  present  to-day  to  hear  your  address,  and 
to-morrow  to  assist  at  your  dinner.  Nothing  but  the  call 
of  imperative  engagements  here  would  have  prevented  it. 

"  Meanwhile  I  have  had  the  very  great  pleasure  and 
profit  of  having  become  acquainted,  by  personal  intercourse, 
with  your  famous  Assembly,  and  with  the  established  organ 
of  the  Church  of  Scotland. 

"  I  cannot  bring  myself  to  believe  that  an  institution  so 
represented  is  doomed  to  fall,  or  that  the  Scottish  people 


MODERA  TORSHIP  AND  PA  TRONA  GE.  303 

will  consent  to  tlie  overthrow  of  a  body  which  gives  such 
pledges  of  dignity  and  progress  to  the  whole  country. 

"  If  at  your  dinner  you  should  think  it  worth  while  to 
refer  to  this  humble  expression  of  regard  from  a  Presbyter 
of  the  sister  Church,  pray  consider  yourself  at  liberty  to 
do  so. 

"  Yours  sincerely, 

"  A.  P.  Stanley." 

From  his  JotjenaIj  : — 

Aiud's  Bat  Hottse,  2nd  August,  1869. 

"  The  Moderatorship  was  a  time  of  great  peace  of  heart. 
There  was  no  contretemps  of  any  kind.  The  house  was 
very  full,  and  every  one  was  kind.  Dean  Stanley  attended 
our  Assembly,  and  visited  the  Free  Church  one  also.  He 
lived  in  the  same  hotel  as  we  did.  My  address,  which 
occupied  two  hours,  Avas  delivered  to  a  crowded  house, 
and  was  kindly  accepted.     It  has  since  been  published. 

"  After  the  Assembly,  on  the  following  Sunday  I  went 
to  Balmoral ;  and  at  the  end  of  June  went  with  the 
Anti-Patronage  Committee  to  London.  The  Scotch 
Members  gave  us  a  dinner.  Had  an  interview  with 
Gladstone,  accompanied  by  twenty-seven  M.P.'s.  It  was 
my  own  decided  opinion  that  we  should  go  to  Government 
to  do  away  with  Patronage.  If  they  refused  to  aid  us, 
they  could  not  accuse  us  of  want  of  sympathy  with  the 
country ;  and  if  they  aided  us,  they  could  not  destroy  us. 
They  could  not  well  order  new  clothes  for  a  man,  and 
then  kill  him. 

"  Some  think  that  Gladstone,  in  his  interview  as  reported, 
wished  that  in  the  memorial  which  he  suggested,  we  should 
discuss  the  question  of  sharing  endowments  with  other 
Presbyterian  Churches.  No  one,  at  the  time,  as  far 
as  I  know,  believed  this.  Had  I  done  so,  although 
warned  by  several  influeiltial  Members  of  Parliament  not 
to  discuss  anything  at  that  interview,  and  also  feeling 
the  extreme  difficulty  of  my  position  as  representing 
the  Church,  accompanied  by  a  deputation  with  so  many 
M.P.'s  of  different  sentiments,  yet  I  would  have  refused, 
without  consent  of  the  Church,  to  entertain  and  discuss  the 


304  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

question  of  Disestablishment,  wlicn  we  were  commissioned 
to  consider  Patronage  only.  But  a  leader  in  the  Daily 
Revieiu  made  me  think  that  this  meaning  might  be  given 
to  the  words,  and  possibl}'  truly,  so  I  protested  in  a  speech 
given  in  Glasgow,  at  my  brother's  induction  dinner  to  Park 
Church,  against  what  seemed  to  me  the  insulting  idea  of 
asking  us  to  entertain  such  a  question,  although  the 
Church  might  do  it.  This  called  forth  an  abusive 
article."  * 

Ecclesiastical  policy  was  never  congenial  to  him, 
and  it  is  doubtful  how  far  he  was  fitted  to  be  in 
this  sphere  the  leader  of  a  party.  He  had  strong 
convictions  as  to  the  principles  by  which  a  national 
Church  should  be  guided,  and  drew  a  line,  clear 
enough  to  his  own  mind,  between  the  generous 
comprehension  which  he  advocated,  and  the  latitudi- 
narianism  which  would  override  the  limits  of  catholic 
belief  But  he  had  neither  patience  nor  taste  for 
diplomacy,  nor  for  the  finesse  required  to  'manage'  a 
party.  His  special  calling,  in  the  circumstances  in 
which  the  Church  had  been  placed  since  1843,  had 
respect  to  her  life  and  practical  work ;  and  he 
felt  that  in  proportion  as  he  helped  to  make  her 
better   he   would    also    make    her   stronger.      But, 

*  Considerable  difference  of  opinion  prevailed  as  to  the  exact  words 
used  by  Mr.  Gladstone,  but  that  Dr.  Macleod  hud  quite  apprehended 
their  purport,  may  bo  gathered  from  the  following  letter,  wiitten  by- 
Mr.  Gladstone's  Secretary  to  the  Eov.  Mr.  Dykes,  of  Ajt: — 

"  Mr.  Gladstone  has  no  report  by  him  of  his  conversation  with  the 
deputation  that  waited  on  him  in  the  summer,  and  is  una!)lo,  without 
that  assistance,  to  make  any  positive  assertion  on  the  subject ;  but 
according  to  his  best  recollection,  ho  gave  no  ojiinion  of  his  own  on 
the  proposal  of  the  deputation,  but  inquired  if  it  had  been  considered 
what  vit;w  was  or  would  be  taken  of  the  proposal  bj'  the  other  Presby- 
terian communions  in  Scotland,  and  what  effect  its  adoption  would 
have  on  the  relation  between  those  communions  (regard  being  had  to 
their  origin)  and  the  Established  Church." 


MODERA  TORSHIP  AND  PA  TRONA  GE.  305 

althoiigli  lie  was  not  an  ecclesiastical  politician,  lie 
acquired  an  influence  in  the  councils  of  the  Church, 
and,  what  was  still  more  important,  an  influence  beyond 
her  pale  which  was  perhaps  wider  and  more  vital  than 
that  of  any  or  all  the  leaders  of  parties.* 

On  this  subject  Dean  Stanley  wrote : — 

"  He  was  the  chief  ecclesiastic  of  the  Scottish  Church. 
No  other  man  during  the  last  thirty  years  in  all  spiritual 
ministrations  so  neariy  filled  the  place  of  Chalmers  ;  no 
other  man  has  occupied  so  high  and  important  a  position 
in  guiding  the  ecclesiastical  movements  of  his  country  since 
the  death  of  Robertson,  we  might  almost  say,  since  the 
death  of  Carstares  ....  Macleod  represented  Scottish 
Protestantism  more  than  any  other  single  man.  Under 
and  around  him  men  would  gather  who  Avould  gather  round 
no  one  else.  When  he  spoke  it  was  felt  to  be  the  voice, 
the  best  voice  of  Scotland." 

It  was  fortunate,  therefore,  for  the  movement  for 
the  Abolition  of  Patronage,  that  when  it  first  took 
definite  shape,  the  Church  was  represented  by  one 
whose  antecedents  gave  him  claims  to  attention  in 
professing  to  speak  on  grounds  of  public  rather  than 
sectarian  policy. 

His  own  views  on  the  question  of  Patronage  were 
sufficiently  defined.  He  never  for  a  moment  imagined 
that  it  was  contrary  to  Scripture ;  and,  as  actually 
exercised  in  the  Church,  he  deemed  there  might  be 
many  advantages  as  well  as  disadvantages  connected 
with  its  continuance.     It  was,  however,  on  grounds 

*  I  am  reminded,  that  since  tlie  Disruption  there  have  bern  no 
parties  in  the  Church.     This  may  be  true  in  a  technical  sense,  but, 
practically,  each  Assembly  has  been  divided  on  special  questions  ;  and 
these  divisions  have  usually  been  determined  by  a  general  polioy. 
VOL.  II.  X 


3o6  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

of  Cliristian  expediency,  and  in  vicAv  of  the  relation 
of  the  Church  to  the  country,  that  he  now  supported 
its  abolition.  Even  as  early  as  1843  he  had  foreseen 
the  necessity  of  moving  in  this  direction,  and  in  his 
closing  address  as  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly 
he  strongly  urged  the  motives  by  which  the  national 
Church  ought,  in  his  opinion,  to  be  actuated. 

"  By  a  national  Cliurch,  I  mean  one  whose  clergy  are 
secured  a  decent  support  out  of  certain  funds  set  apart 
by  the  State  for  their  use  ;  a  Church  whose  doctrines  have 
been  accepted  by  the  State,  as  those  which  are  henceforth 
to  characterise  the  teaching  of  its  ministers,  and  whose 
government  and  discipline  are  in  their  several  outlines  de- 
fined, recognised,  and  pro'ected  by  law.  Such  an  organi- 
zation exists,  not  for  tha  sake  of  the  clergy,  but  for  the 
sake  of  tlie  country.  The  people  do  not  thus  belong  to  the 
Church,  but  the  Church  to  the  people.  Our  stipends  are 
not  given  for  our  own  sake,  but  for  theirs.  The  Church  is 
their  property,  and  all  her  ministrations  are  established  for 
their  advantage.  If  this  be  so,  then  a  national  Church  can 
never,  without  forfeiting  its  true  position,  regard  what  are 
called  its  own  interests  as  being  in  any  way  independent 
of  the  interests  of  the  country,  but  rather  as  subordinate 
to  them. 

"  A  Christian  body,  self-supported,  whose  members  are 
united  by  a  mere  voluntary  agreement,  may  exist  for  itself 
only,  and  teacli  as  it  pleases,  being  answerable  alone  to 
conscience  and  to  God.  Not  so  a  Church  which  has  had 
conferred  upon  it  the  privileges  and  consequent  responsi- 
bilities of  an  Establishment.  Every  question  which  comes 
before  such  a  Church  for  decision  must  be  judged  of  with 
reference  to  the  general  interests  of  the  nation.  Accord- 
ing to  this  principle,  the  views  and  wishes  of  Churches 
dissenting  from  our  communion,  on  grounds  Avhich  it  may 
be  possible  for  us  to  remove,  and  the  beliefs  even  of  those 
of  our  follow  countrymen  who  reject  all  Churches,  demrnul 
from  us  earnest  and  anxious   consideration.      The  ohico- 


MODERA  TORSHIP  AND  PA  IRON  A  GE.  307 

bearers  of  the  natioDal  Church  are  trustees  of  a  property 
which  is  theirs  only  in  so  far  as  they  regard  it  as  a  com- 
mon boon,  which  all  citizens  are  entitled  to  share.  How 
many  of  our  divisions  might  have  been  prevented,  had  all 
parties,  acting  on  this  principle,  carried  in  common  the 
burden  of  the  Church,  and  endeavoured  to  make  her 
claims  harmonious  at  once  with  the  righteous  demands  of 
the  State  and  of  the  country !  How  much  might  yet  be 
(lone  if  we  would  pass  over  all  the  narrow  space  bounded  by 
Church  party  into  the  wider  space  limited  only  by  Chris- 
tian patriotism !  We  are  thus  bound,  as  far  as  is  con- 
sistent with  our  existence  as  a  Christian  Church,  to  include 
within  it  as  many,  and  to  exclude  from  it  as  few  as  possible, 
of  our  countrymen.  And  in  order,  I  repeat,  to  do  this, 
we  should  weicrh  their  conscientious  convictions  whether  as 
to  government,  forms  of  worship,  or  doctrines  of  minor 
importance,  in  the  light  of  that  true  Christian  charity,  which 
is  at  once  the  hio^hest  form  of  freedom  and  of  restraint." 

His  anxiety  was,  if  possible,  to  rebuild  the  Church, 
on  a  foundation  sufficiently  wide  to  include  the 
Presbyterianism  of  Scotland.  He  did  not,  however, 
delude  himself  with  the  hope  of  any  corporate  union 
immediately  taking  place  with  the  Free  Church  and 
United  Presbyterians,  in  consequence  of  the  abolition 
of  Patronage.  He  knew  too  well  their  historical 
antecedents,  understood  too  well  the  spirit  which 
years  of  antagonism  had  created,  and  had  weighed 
too  carefully  other  practical  diiticulties  to  expect  any 
suck  happy  consummation.  In  reference  to  this  he 
used  to  quote  from  '  Christabel '  these  lines — 

"  Alas  !  they  had  been  friends  in  youth  ; 
But  whispering  tongues  can  poison  truth; 
And  constancj'  lives  in  realms  above  ; 
And  life  is  thorny  ;  and  3'outh  is  vain ; 
And  to  be  wroth  with  one  we  love, 

Doth  work  like  madness  in  the  brain. 
*  *  *  *  *  * 

X  2 


3o8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Each  spako  words  of  high  disdain 

And  insult  to  his  heart's  best  brother; 

Tliey  parted — ne'er  to  meet  again  ! 

But  never  either  i'ound  another 

To  free  the  hollow  heart  from  paining — - 

They  stood  aloof,  the  scars  i-emaining, 

Like  cliffs  which  had  been  rent  asunder  ; 

A  dreury  sea  now  flows  between  : — 

But  neither  heat,  nor  frost,  nor  thunder, 

Shall  wholly  do  away,  I  ween. 

The  marks  of  that  which  once  hith  been." 

But  he  certainly  dared  to  hope  that,  after  time 
had  exercised  its  healing  influence,  these  Churches 
wouhl  be  thankful  for  the  preservation  of  the 
national  endowments  for  religion,  and  appreciate 
the  attempt  now  made  to  open  the  doors  of  the 
Establishment  as  wide  as  possible  to  all  Presby- 
terian bodies.  In  these  endowments  he  saw  the 
only  sufficient  security  for  the  existence  of  a  well 
paid  and  well  educated  ministry  for  the  nation.  All 
he  had  seen  and  learned  of  Voluntaryism  in  America, 
and  all  he  had  known  of  its  working  in  this  country, 
had  convinced  him  that,  when  existing  alone,  it  was 
not  only  insufficient  for  the  proper  support  of  the 
Chm'ch  in  poor  districts,  but  involved  in  its  very 
nature  elements  of  danger  to  the  tone,  independ- 
ence, and  liberty  of  the  clergy.*  It  seemed  to  him 
therefore  a  betrayal  of  the  interests  of  Christianity 
in  Scotland,  where  the  people  were  practically  at  one 
in  their  beliefs,  to  throw  away  the  patrimony  of  the 
Church  for  the  sake  of  a  party  triumph.  He  was 
therefore  determined,  as  far  as  in  him  lay,  to  con- 
serve the  Church  for  patriotic  ends,  and,  with  this 
view,  was  anxious  to  bring  her  government  as  much 

*  See  his  Speech  on  Patronage  in  the  Assembly  of  1870. 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  309 

as  possible  into  harmony  with  the  lawful  wishes,  and 
even  the  prejudices  of  the  people. 

"  We  must  endeavour  to  build  up  a  Church,  national  but 
not  sectarian,  most  tolerant,  but  not  indifferent — a  Church 
with  liberty  but  not  licence,  endowed  but  not  covetous, 
and  which,  because  national,  should  extend  her  sympathy, 
her  charity,  if  need  be  her  protection,  to  other  Churches, 
and  to  every  man  who,  by  word  or  deed,  tries  to  advance 
the  good  of  our  beloved  country."* 

Some  months  after  the  deputation  had  waited  on 
Mr.  Gladstone,  he  wi-ote  to  the  Duke  of  Argyll  in  the 
following  terms  : — 

29th  March,  1870. 
"  No  man  realises  more  fully  or  intensely  than  I  do  the 
difficulties  which  surround  us  on  every  side  in  attempting 
to  preserve  the  Church  as  an  Established  Church,  or  even 
to  secure  for  Presby  terianism  the  ecclesiastical  funds  of  the 
country.  We  cannot  remain  in  our  present  position  and 
receive  an  attack,  for  our  doing  so  would  provoke  an  attack, 
and  justly  too,  as  that  would  not  be  acting  a  worthy  part. 
We  cannot  retract  after  the  vote  for  movement  in  regard  to 
Patronage.  We  must  advance,  stronger  in  numbers,  in 
activity,  in  talent  and  influence,  than  during  any  previous 
period  subsequent  to  '43  ;  and  stronger  still  I  humbly 
hope  in  an  unselfish  desire,  as  becomes  a  national  Church, 
to  seek  the  good  of  the  country.  And  for  this  end  we 
ought  to  be  willing  to  share  as  far  as  practicable  the 
advantages  or  the  prestige  of  the  Establishment,  or  at 
the  worst,  its  endowments,  with  all  who  will  receive  them. 
I  advance  therefore  %o  make  honourable  terms,  not  with 
*  the  enemy,'  or  mutineers,  but  with  those  regiments  who 
have  left  us,  formed  themselves  into  a  Free  Corps,  and  have 
weakened  in  so  many  ways  the  army  which  should  be 
united  against  the  common  foe.  Our  attempt  is  not 
hopeless  !     No  attempt  can  be  so  which,  before  God,  seeks 

■''  Speech  in  Assembly,  1870. 


310  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

to  do  good.  A  hij^lier  blessing  in  some  form  must  come 
than  if  no  such  attempt  is  made.  I  have  faith  in  God. 
All  will  depend  on  the  spirit  which  may  actuate  the 
Churches. 

"  The  removal  of  Patronage  I  am  aware  is  but  one 
step,  and  not  the  greatest.  But  I  fancy  that  if  it  could  bo 
enacted  that  induction  should  take  place  '  according  to  the 
laws  of  the  Church,'  leaving  liberty  to  regulate  from  time 
to  time  the  laws  regarding  the  election,  that  the  difficulty 
of  '  spiritual  indei)endence  '  Avould  be  practically  solved. 

"  The  Free  Church  could  not,  without  denying  her 
principles  and  history,  refuse  at  least  to  consider  the 
question  in  the  gravest  manner,  and  the  responsibility  of 
refusal  would  be  laid  on  her.  A  considera'ble  party  in 
that  Church,  and  in  the  whole  north  of  Scotland,  which 
has  declared  against  union  with  the  Voluntaries,  and 
mourns  over  the  '  sad  defection '  of  Candlish,  Guthrie,  and 
Buchanan,  would  gladly  entertain  the  idea.  The  United 
Presbyterians,  who  in  their  political  eagerness  to  join 
the  Free  Church,  consented  to  let  the  principle  of  Estab- 
lishment be  '  an  open  question,'  could  hardly  make  its 
practice  (a  mere  £  s.  d.  atiair)  be  a  ground  for  rupture, 
and  thus,  if  there  was  an  Endowed  Free  Church  in  friendly 
co-operation — in  unity,  if  not  union — with  those  tender 
consciences  which  '  cannot  touch  the  coined  money,'  we 
should  have  reform,  in  harmony  with  our  past  history,  and 
not  Revolution. 

"  In  spite  of  all  that  Voluntary  Churches  have  done, 
never  were  endowments,  in  addition  to  free  gifts,  more 
needed,  if  we  are  to  have,  beyond  the  towns,  clergy  who 
can  hold  their  own  among  a  cultivated  and  educated 
laity. 

"  There  is  a  great  fear  on  the  part  of  some  of  our  Broad 
Churchmen,  lest  an  immigration  of  barbarian  races  into 
the  Establishment  should  extinguish  all  the  freedom  and 
break  up  the  Church  by  a  series  of  massacres,  or  force 
other  and  counter  migr^itions  to  Independent  or  Episcopal 
Churches.  They  tell  me  I  should  be  the  first  man  to  be 
shot !  But  I  do  not  fear  this.  Indeed,  I  begin  to  fear 
much  more  lest   liberty   should  degenerate  into  licence  : 


MODERA  TORSHIP  AND  PA  TRONA  GE.  311 

anyhow,   I  have    confidence   in    truth,   time,    and    public 
opinion. 

"  I  write  to  you  without  reserve.  I  beheve  in  your  good- 
will to  the  Church,  your  love  to  your  country.  '  Who 
knoweth  Athether  thou  art  come  to  the  kingdom  for  such 
a  time  as  this  ! '" 


To  Dr.  Chabteris  : — 

"  There  would  be,  on  the  one  hand,  great  danger  to  fair 
and  honest  freedom  by  union  at  present  with  the  Free 
Church.  We  should  be  terribly  tried  by  a  Demon  of 
Dogma,  wandering  in  dry  places,  and  no  real  man  daring 
to  pass  that  way.  Even  John  Calvin  would  be  strangled. 
Hymns  !  Organs  !  Simpler  Creed  !  Simpler  formula  ! 
Pfui !     All  gone,  and  the  Church  would  soon  follow. 

"  I  see  no  chance  of  any  legislation  by  which  their  idea 
of  spiritual  independence  can  be  made  possible.  Do  you  ? 
And  if  possible,  desirable.      Do  you  ? 

"But,  on  the  other  hand,  I  hold  an  endowed  Church,  accord- 
ing to  all  experience,  to  be  almost  essential  to  our  possessing 
men  of  culture,  and  such  are  a  great  gift  from  God.  We 
may  do  without  them,  but  we  shall  do  immensely  better 
with  them,  and  this  leads  to  union,  for  the  strengftheninsf 
of  the  Church. 

"  And  again,  bad  as  high  and  dry,  tight-laced,  hard 
straight-line  orthodoxy  is,  there  is  something  inconceiv- 
ably worse,  and  that  is  cold,  heartless,  breathless,  specu- 
lative unbelief.  If  I  fear  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Scotland  being  frozen  by  orthodoxy  into  fixed  and  dead 
forms  as  respects  thought,  I  fear  a  million  times  more 
her  ministers  and  j^eople  being  frozen  into  eternal  lumps 
of  ice. 

"  Lastly,  if  our  Church  in  Scotland  is  to  do  the  utmost 
possible  work  as  a  Church  for  Scotland,  it  must  be  by 
method,  by  the  saving  of  w\aste  poAver,  whether  of  men  or 
money,  and  by  gaining  more  moral  and  spiritual  power  by 
means  of  fewer  temptations  to  malice,  envy,  pride,  selfish 
ambition,  &c.,  and  by  affording  greater  inducements  and 
opportunities  to  cultivate  common  sympathies  and  common 


312  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

affections  in  praying,  preaching,  and  working  together  in 
advancing  our  Lord's  kingdom.     All  this  points  to  union." 

Frora  his  Joubn^il  : — 

Aird's  Bay,  Loch  Etfvie,  1869. 

"  At  the  end  of  June,  I  went  with  Watson  and  Strahan 
to  Berlin.  I  fixed  the  missionaries  to  the  Aborigines  of 
Lidia.  We  left  Glasgow  on  Tuesday,  and  I  was  back  on 
the  next  Friday  week.  I  had  a  most  uncomfortable 
journey,  and  was  very  wearied.  I  returned  by  Hamburg ; 
since  that  I  have  been  here." 


To  Cat;on  Kingsley  : — 

Alrd's  Bay  House,  July  24, 1869. 

"  Your  note  about  Captain  A —  came  when  I  was  occupy- 
ing the  Chair  of  the  General  Assembly.  After  that  I  had 
to  go  to  Balmoral ;  then  Loudon  ;  then  Berlin  ;  all  on  i^ublic 
business.  ISow  I  am  trying  to  rest  beneath  the  shadow  of 
Cruachan,  and  to  pump  out  the  letters  which  have  nearly 
drowned  me. 

"  What  a  glorious  country  this  is  !  I  think  Loch  Etive 
the  finest  loch  in  the  Highlands.  It  worms  its  way  like 
Olaf  Trj-ggveson's  snake-boat  far  up  among  silent  hills 
for  thirty  miles,  with  branching  glens  going  nowhere, 
here  and  there  a  hut  like  a  boulder,  ending  with  the 
shepherds  of  Etive  Glen. 

"It  is  worth  coming  all  this  way  to  row  up  the  Loch, 
for  there  is  no  road  on  either  side,  and  its  shores  are 
unpolluted.  No  Murray  knoweth  them.  The  trail  of 
the  old  clans  has  not  been  obliterated  by  foot  of  civilised 
man.  An  old  seal  raised  his  head  and  wondered  if  I  was 
going  to  join  Prince  Charlie.  The  sheep  stare  at  me. 
The  hills  seem  to  dress  themselves  in  their  best  robes 
and  colours  to  receive  strangers. 

"  Well,  Benares  and  Bunawe,  Lucknow  and  Lome  are 
queer  contrasts ! 

"  What  a  glory  before  me  is  that  Cruachan  !  For  a  week 
after  arriviuLT  I  was  so  faffed  and  out  of  sorts  that  Nature 
touched  me  only  on  the  outside.     My  soul  seemed  Nature 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  313 

proof.     It  begins  now  to  receive  some  of  its  beauty ;  and 
next  to  tlie  Bible  I  find  Nature  tlie  holiest  teacher. 

"It  is  fortunate  for  me  that  you  will  be  unable  to  read 
this." 

From  his  Journal  : — 

"  2(>//i  August,  1869. — I  leave  in  an  hour  for  Inverie, 
\\x.  Baird's  place  in  the  north. 

"  I  have  had  a  wonderful  time  of  happiness  with  all  my 
dear  children,  all  so  well  and  joyous  ;  one  of  those  many 
times  of  heaven's  sunshine  on  earth  we  have  had  together, 
but  which  cannot,  in  the  transition  period  of  education  by 
trial,  be  repeated  often. 

"  I  preached  every  Sunday,  except  the  one  I  was  in 
Glasgow.  I  have  written  two  'Peeps' — Madras  and  Calcutta; 
also  a  long  article  in  Record  on  the  Aborigines,  and  at  least 
200  letters.  We  have  had  little  trips — on  Loch  Awe  and 
Loch  Etive — once  with  dear  Shairp. 

•*  I  have  been  made  Dean  of  the  Thistle." 

His  former  assistant  and  minister  of  his  Mission 
Church,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Young,  of  Ellon,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing reminiscence  of  an  evening  spent  at  Aii'd's 
Bay:- 

"  The  Doctor  had  retired  early  in  the  day  into  a  quiet 
room  for  work,  but  as  the  day  wore  on,  and  he  heard  us 
at  croquet,  he  left  his  letters  and  India  Mission  work  and 
joined  us  for  a  while.  He  likes  this  game,  for  it  brings 
him  into  the  open  air  and  the  society  of  his  children,  and 
so  enthusiastic  does  he  get  that  he  affects  even  to  lose  his 
temper  as  the  play  goes  against  his  side.  It  was,  however, 
only  a  brief  interlude  of  relaxation,  for  he  was  soon  at  his 
writing  again,  and  scarcely  emerged  till  late  in  the  even- 
ing. We  had  gathered  in  the  drawing-room,  and  the  music 
had  just  commenced,  when  a  tap  on  the  window  outside 
summoned  me  to  join  him.  He  is  tired  after  his  day's 
work,  and  sits  smoking  under  a  tree.      The  solemn  calm 


314  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

■  and  beauty  of  the  landscape,  seen  in  the  fast-fading  light, 
have  suggested  a  multitude  of  profound  thoughts  -which 
he  wishes  to  communicate.  I  sit  almost  speechless,  for 
he  discourses  most  marvellously  about  God's  mercies  and 
their  varied  effects  on  the  grateful  and  ungrateful.  Tliere 
is  a  nervous  eloquence  in  his  words,  and  although  it  is 
very  dark,  I  know  that  his  whole  frame  heaves  with 
emotion,  as  he  pictures  the  hard  struggle  Avhich  the 
Christian  has  in  acquiescing  in  the  divine  Avill  when 
that  will  re(|uires  the  surrender  of  some  choice  bless- 
ing. This  leads  to  a  touching  autobiographical  sketch,  in 
which  he  tells  of  the  deep  waters  he  had  some  years 
before  passed  through  during  the  time  Mrs.  Macleod  was 
in  fever.  I  never  was  so  impressed  as  by  that  conversa- 
tion. The  sacred  quiet  of  the  late  evening,  the  earnest 
pathos  of  the  speaker,  and  the  thrilling  nature  of  the 
theme  powerfully  affected  me.  When  he  ended  we  Aviped 
the  tears  from  our  eyes,  and  joined  the  family  in  the 
drawing-room,  and  enjoyed  music  and  singmg  the  rest  of 
the  evening." 

From  his  Journal  : — 

*'  December  31si,  1869. — In  a  few  hours  the  century  will 
have  lived  its  threescore  and  ten  years  !  I  question  if  since 
time  began,  with  the  exception  of  three  or  four  great  eras, 
such  as  the  calling  of  Abraham,  the  Exodus,  the  Birth  of 
Christ,  the  Reformation,  the  invention  of  printing,  or  it 
may  be,  the  breaking  up  of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  birth 
of  Mahomet,  or  of  Buddah — such  an  influential  period 
has  existed.  The  invention  of  the  steam-engine,  the 
discovery  of  gas,  telegraph,  chloroform  ;  Avith  the  freedom 
of  slaves,  the  British  acquisition  of  India,  the  opening  up 
of  the  world  to  the  gospel,  the  translations  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, will  make  it  for  ever  memorable. 

"It  has  been  a  happy  year  to  myself,  and  some  events 
in  it  have  been  to  me  interesting  personally. 

"  I  have  collected  some  thousands  for  Retiring  Allow- 
ance Fund  :  addressed  very  many  meetings  on  Missions  ; 
founded  and  collected  for  Aborigines  Mission  ;  got  free  site 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  315 

for  new  Mission  Chnrch  at  Eluevale  ;  aided  in  arranging 
plan  for  ten  new  churches.  Written  eleven  articles  for 
Good  ^¥ord8. 

''January,  1870. — We  had  our  old  gathering  on  the 
first  of  the  year  at  Shandon.  My  beloved  mother,  alive 
and  hearty,  at  the  head  of  our  table !  Such  mercies 
are  aAvful  !  And  very  rare  it  is  in  a  man  of  fifty-eight  to 
have  such  a  mother — so  grand  and  good,  so  full  of  love 
and  sj'inpathy^almost  painful  from  its  intensity — to  be 
one  with  him  from  his  infancy  ! 

" .  .  .  .  God  Almighty,  imbue  us  all  with  Thy  charity ! 
The  longer  I  live  the  less  do  I  desire  to  judge  any  man. 
There  is  no  one  but  God  can  decide  as  to  any  man's 
character.  This  is  a  product  of  so  many  causes — tem- 
perament, the  society  into  which  he  has  been  cast,  intel- 
lectual capacity,  the  teaching  he  has  received,  whether 
from  the  books  he  has  read,  the  clergy — perhaps  bigots, 
ignorant  men,  suj)erstitious  dogmatists,  mere  talkers — he 
has  heard,  and  a  thousand  circumstances — that  we  dare 
not  condemn  the  man,  thouo^h  from  the  lio'ht  God  has 
given  us  we  may  say,  *  to  me  this  is  right  or  wrong.'  Many 
a  so-called  'infidel'  is  nearer  the  kingdom  of  God  than 
many  an  '  orthodox  '  minister.  Many  an  unbeliever  is  a 
protest  against  those  who  in  honest  ignorance  have,  in  the 
name  of  God,  spoken  what  is  untrue.  What  we  all  need 
is  a  child-like  spirit  to  trust  God,  to  hear  God,  to  believe 
that  there  is  a  God  who  loves  us,  Who  desires  our  indi- 
vidual well-being,  Who  can  and  will  teach  us,  and  lead 
us  into  all  essential  truth,  such  truth  as  will  make  us  His 
children  in  teachableness  and  obedience. 

"  The  clergy  have  often  done  great  damage  to  the 
truth.  They  have  sought  more  to  fit  in  what  has  been 
proposed  as  truth  to  them,  to  a  system  of  theology  given 
them  in  the  Divinity  Hall,  than  to  see  it  in  the  light  of 
God  himself. 

"  It  is  an  awful  thought  that  some  men  cannot  brinsf 
God's  own  revealed  truth  into  the  light  of  reason  and  con- 
science. I  have  such  profound  faith  in  revealed  truth  to  us 
as  to  rejoice  that  it  shall  be  tried  by  what  God  has  revealed 
in  us.     I  would  tremble  for  any  truth  that  could  be  main- 


3i6  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

tained  by  nothing  more  than  by  the  authority  of  the 
letter,  by  an  '  it  is  written.'  Jesus  used  this  argument ; 
})ut  it  was  to  the  Devil,  who  had  no  spiritual  eye  to 
see.  So  may  we  address  his  disciples,  and  leave  them  to 
iliink  of  it.  Yes,  and  it  answers  to  what  is  written  in 
the  soul,  conscience,  hopes,  sorrows,  joys,  and  expecta- 
tions of  humanity.  I  almost  adore  the  Bible.  The  more 
I  read  it,  without  almost  any  thought  of  questions  of 
inspiration,  but  simply  as  a  record  of  fact,  of  precept 
and  principle,  of  judgment  and  of  mercy,  of  God's  acts 
and  'ways'  {i.e.  the  principles  of  his  acts),  all  culminating  in 
Christ,  as  a  revelation  of  what  God  is  to  man,  and  what 
man  was  created  to  be  to  God,  the  more  my  Avhole  moral 
being  responds  to  it,  as  being  a  revelation  of  God.  The 
authority  of  the  Bible  is  to  me  supreme,  because  it  '  com- 
mands '  my  reason  and  conscience.  I  I'eel  it  is  from  God. 
It  was  once  otherwise  with  me.  It  is  so  no  more  ;  and  the 
older  I  get,  the  more  ray  spirit  says  amen  to  it. 

"  I  feel  a  great  difference  from  looking  at  revealed 
truth,  not  as  it  dovetails  into  a  system  of  theology,  but 
as  it  appears  in  the  light  of  God,  as  revealed  in  Christ. 
A  divine  instinct  seems  to  assure  me  '  this  is  true,' 
'  it  is  like  God,'  '  it  is  in  harmony  with  all  I  know  of 
Him.' 

"  I  believe  all  our  churches  are  breaking  up.  We  have 
almost  settled  the  questions  of  mere  dogmatics.  Calvinism, 
Arminianism,  and  all  the  imis  connected  with  men  have 
(lone  their  w'ork  in  educating  the  Church.  Rome  tries 
by  the  force  of  numbers  centred  in  Papal  infallibility  in 
resrard  to  dofj^ma,  to  hold  the  Church  tos^ether.  Protes- 
tantism  is,  in  another  form,  trying  to  create  unity  bj 
restraints  that  are  also  external.  But  what  we  crave  foi 
is  the  union  of  life,  '  Christ  in  us,'  which  alone  can  con- 
vince the  world  that  a  new  supernatural  power  has  really 
entered  humanity,  a  power  which  alone  can  produce  in  us 
a  new  character,  and  make  us  partakers  of  the  divine  nature. 
I  think  we  shall  be  all  smashed  as  respects  churches  and 
systems,  and  this,  as  a  negative  preparation  for  the  second 
coming  of  Christ — not  an  objective  coming,  but  one  through 
the  Spirit,  as  Christ  in  us,  the  whole  life  of  Christ,  uniting 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  317 

all  who  know  Him,  as  the  one  hope  of  glory.  May  Thy 
kingdom  come  ! 

"  The  power  of  mere  traditional  views  of  so-callod 
Christianity  is  to  me  utterly  astounding.  I  heard  an  ex- 
cellent young  man  preach  last  night.  He  logically  carried 
out  the  assumption  that  our  Lord  endured  the  very  punish- 
ment our  sins  deserved.  Hence,  he  said,  the  damned  in 
hell  alone  could  understand  His  sufferings  !  Yet  such  mon- 
strous— shall  I  call  it  biasphemy  ? — never  struck  him. 
God  forgive  us  clergy,  who  have  made  men  infidels  by  all 
the  '  hard  speeches '  we  have  in  our  ignorance  uttered 
asrainst  Thee. 

"  The  Lord  reigns  !  Let  the  earth  be  glad  !  Our  hope 
is  in  Him  who  '  is  able,' — who  else  can  ? — to  give  us  light 
and  life. 

"  My  life  is  not  what  I  would  have  chosen.  I  often 
yearn  and  long  for  quiet,  for  reading,  and  for  thought.  It 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  very  paradise,  to  be  able  to  read,  think, 
pray,  go  deep  into  things,  gather  the  glorious  riches  of 
intellectual  culture,  rise  into  the  empyrean  of  abstract 
truth,  write  thoughtful  and  careful  sermons,  grasp  at  the 
great  principles  of  wise  statesmanship,  master  all  the  his- 
torical details  necessary  as  data  for  future  reference,  &c.,  &c. 

"  God  has  forbidden  it  in  His  providence.  I  must  spend 
hours  in  receiving  people  (not  of  my  congregation)  who  wish 
to  speak  to  me  about  all  sorts  of  trifles ;  to  reply  to  letters 
about  nothing;  to  engage  on  public  work  on  everything;  to 
waste  my  life  on  what  seems  uncongenial,  vanishing,  tem- 
porary, waste.  Yet  God  knows  me  better  than  I  know 
myself.  He  knows  my  gifts  and  powers,  my  failings,  and 
my  weaknesses,  what  I  can  do  and  not  do.  So  I  desire  to 
be  led,  and  not  to  lead ;  to  follow  Him  ;  and  I  am  quite  sure 
that  He  has  thus  enabled  me  to  do  a  great  deal  more,  in 
ways  which  seem  to  me  almost  a  waste  of  life,  in  advancing 
His  kingdom  than  I  could  have  done  in  any  other  way — 
I  am  sure  of  that.  Intellectually  I  am  weak.  In  scholar- 
ship nothing.  In  a  thousand  things  a  baby.  He  knows 
this,  and  so  he  has  led  me  and  greatly  blessed  me,  who  am 
nobody,  to  be  of  some  use  to  my  Church  and  fellow  men. 
How  kind,  how  good,  how  compassionate,  art  Thou.  0  God  ! 


3i8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  Oh,  my  Father !  keep  me  humble.  Help  me  to 
have  respect  towards  raj'  fellow-men — to  recognise  their 
several  gifts  as  from  Thee.  Deliver  me  from  the  (lial)olical 
sins  of  malice,  envy,  or  jealous}^  and  give  me  hearty  joy 
in  my  brother's  good,  in  his  work,  in  his  gifts  and  talents  ; 
and  may  I  be  truly  glad  in  his  superiority  to  myself,  if 
Thou  art  glorified  !  Root  out  all  weak  vanity,  all  devilish 
pride,  all  that  is  abhorrent  to  the  mind  of  Christ.  God, 
liear  my  prayer  !  Grant  me  the  wondrous  joy  of  humility, 
which  is  seeing  Thee  as  All  in  All ! 

"January  17. — That  Avhich  does  not  commend  itself 
to  the  conscience  of  the  Church,  i.e.,  the  true  Church  of 
men  who  reverence  God,  who  seek  Him,  desire  to  do  His 
will,  and  peril  all  in  knowing  Him,  is  not  to  be  received. 
God  Himself  challenges  the  response  of  the  enlightened 
conscience — '  Judge  between  me  and  my  vineyard.' 

"  I  thank  God  that  He,  not  man's  absurd  arguments, 
can  touch  sinners  and  bring  them  to  Himself. 

"  How  often  are  men  riojht  in  the  thinq-,  and  wronsr  in 
the  argument.  How  often  right  in  the  argument,  and 
wrong  in  the  thing  !  AU-mcrciful,  wise  God,  have  mercy 
on  us  and  teach  us !" 

To  Rev.  W.  F.  Stevenson  : — 

February,  1R70. 

"  I  returned  at  the  end  of  last  week  from  England, 
Avhere  my  Avife  and  I  spent  ten  days  very  happily.  We 
visited,  with  our  kind  friends  the  Lumsdens,  Oxford, 
Kenilworth,  Stratford-on-Avon,  and,  aided  by  a  carriage 
and  two  horses,  had  a  splendid  day  with  the  hounds,  and 
followed  them  from  the  meet  to  the  death.  The  clergy 
are  too  much  Jacob  all  over,  and  might  be  improved  by  a 
little  of  Esau.  What  a  fine  man  could  be  made  out  of 
them  both — better  than  either  ! 

"  I  have  too  much  on  hand.  I  beo^in  another  new  church 
for  my  poor  peo})le.  But  I  am  now  as  firmly  convinced  as 
^liiller  or  you  are,  that  whatever  work  God  gives  us  to 
do  will  be  done  and  finished,  if  done  to  Him  and  by 
Him  !  So  I  shall  build  my  church — get  £10,000  for  my 
Retiring   Fund,   establish  my  Aborigines   Mission,  get  fit 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.         319 

men  and  money  for  liome  and   abroad,  and  also  become 
myself  a  better  man — though  last  not  least ! 

"  I  wish  1  had  a  long  talk  Avith  you  on  public  affixirs. 
All  is  preparing,  by  bad  as  well  as  good,  for  the  coming  of 
Christ  in  us — to  reign  on  earth." 

He  resumed  once  more  the  fatiguing  labour  of 
addressing  Presbyteries  and  public  meetings  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country  on  behalf  of  the  India 
Mission ;  and  while  he  was  grateful  for  the  personal 
kindness  he  always  experienced  and  the  expressions 
of  increased  interest  on  the  part  of  clergy  and  laity 
with  which  these  meetings  were  generally  concluded, 
lie  had  yet  to  deplore  the  absence  of  permanent 
results.  The  movement  which  was  inaugurated,  the 
resolutions  that  were  heartily  carried  where  he  was 
present,  were  too  frequently  forgotten  a  few  weeks 
afterwards.  He  was  also  not  a  little  annoyed  by 
the  readiness  with  which  many  excellent  ministers 
assumed  an  attitude  of  suspicion  towards  the  Mission, 
lest  it  should  be  conducted  on  too  '  broad '  principles. 

"  This  India  Mission,"  he  writes,  "  our  only  mission  to 
the  heathen,  is  on  its  trial.  The  deputation  to  India  was 
but  a  prelude  to  the  more  difficult  work  of  seeking  to  give 
life  to  this  great,  stolid,  dull  mass  of  clergy  and  people." 

"I  solemnly  declare,"  he  writes  again  to  a  res^^ected 
brother  clergyman  who  was  standing  aloof,  "  that  except  I 
am  better  supported  by  the  clergy  I  will  give  it  up.  I  have 
neither  time  nor  heart  for  it.  Last  night,  lame  with  gout, 
I  addressed  two  thousand  five  hundred  people  in  Perth. 
I  have  now  been  for  four  hours  doing  nothing  but  writing 
letters  connected  with  another  meeting — and  this  is  but 
a  drop  in  my  bucket — and  in  the  midst  of  this  constant 
worry  of  mind  to  have  cold  water  or  lukewarm  water  thrown 
over  me !    The  fire  burns  in  my  bones  for  a  mission  and  a 


320  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Clmrch  at  the  point  of  perishing.  In  God's  name  I  will 
fiy^ht  my  gun  till  I  die — hut  you  must  come  into  the 
battery." 

From  his  Jouenal  : — 

"  Our  India  mission  has  never  been  so  strong  in  point 
of  agency  since  '43.  But  "will  the  Church  respond  ?  The 
Lord  knows  !  My  terror  is  that  she  will  not ;  and  then 
God  will  in  judgment  take  away  that  which  has  been 
given  !  How  fearful !  God's  ministers  to  be  the  obstruc- 
tions to  missions !  God's  ministers  to  be  the  last !  *  Then 
Cometh  the  end  ! ' 

"  May  the  Lord  avert  it !  It  is  almost  inconceivable 
into  what  a  hard,  formal  state,  even  ministers  may  come  ! 
A  sort  of  Protestant  Pugi  ;  *  a  Romanism  of  mere 
'sound  words' — forms;  no  life,  no  longing  or  yearn- 
ing to  win  souls  to  Christ ;  no  faith,  but  a  conceited 
philosophism,  a  puj)i-)yism  of  would-be  philosophical  or 
evangelical  cant,  or  an  unbelief,  whose  one  end  is  cultivat- 
ing popularity  with  farmers  and  parishioners. 

"As  to  farmers,  I  was  visiting  to-day  a  working  man's 
family  from  the  country.  What  an  account  they  gave  me 
of  the  family  life  so  often  found  in  our  Scotch  farms  !  The 
indifference  of  the  masters,  the  consequent  ignorance, 
brutality,  nnd  moral  filth  of  the  servants — the  atrocious 
selfisliness  of  the  whole  thing  !  I  have  the  poorest  possible 
opinion  of  the  morality,  the  common  decency  that  is  too 
frequently  observed  on    the  farms  of  Scotland.      As  Dr. 

Chalmers  said  of  so   I  may  say  of  a  mass  of  our 

agriculturists — they  are  a  set  of  '  galvanised  Divots'  t 

"...  There  is  a  great  talk  about  education.  "Well, 
I  would  prefer  what  is  foolishly  called  *  secular  educa- 
tion '  (as  if  all  truth  was  not  from  God,  and  therefore 
according  to  His  will)  to  none.  Put  why  not  religious 
instruction,  ii  '  religions  education '  is  too  glorious  a  thing 
to  aspire  after  ?  Surely  the  facts  of  the  Bible,  what  it 
records  and  says  (whatever  value  individuals  may  attach 

*  '  rnp-i '  is  tho  Indian  name  for  ritual. 

t    '  Divot '  is  an  expressive  Scutcli  word  for  a  tui'f — sod. 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  321 

to  them),  should  be  given  to  our  chikh-en  ?  I  think  that 
the  facts  of  Mohammedanism  and  even  J]rahminism,  as 
well  as  those  of  Greek  and  lioman  mythology,  should  be 
given  to  the  citizens  of  a  great  nation  which  rules  millions 

o  o 

believing  in  both.  How  much  more  the  facts  of  the  Bible  ! 
As  for  the  Shorter  Catechism,  I  would  not  wish  it  taught  in 
schools,  or  any  catechism  or  abstract  dogmatic  teaching. 
Give  me  the  alleged  facts  !  I  shall  then  have  the  skeletons 
which  I  can  through  the  Spirit  quicken  into  a  great  army ! 

"  The  ignorance  of  some  critics  on  Scripture  is  wonder- 
ful !  There  is  just  as  much  bigotry,  narrowness,  and 
fanaticism  in  scejDtics  as  in  Christians.  I  have  often 
marvelled  at  the  ignorance  of  writers  against  the  Bible  in 
regard  to  facts,  or  as  to  what  enlightened  theologians  have 
written. 

"  I  don't  believe  one  fact  narrated  in  Scripture  will  be 
found,  in  the  end,  adverse  to,  but  in  profound  harmony 
with  science,  reason,  conscience,  history,  and  common  sense. 

"  Narrow-minded  theologians  have  been  the  greatest 
enemies  to  the  gospel.  They  are  sincere,  pious,  devoted, 
but  often  conceited,  self-willed,  and  ignorant,  making  their 
shibboleths  inspiration.  Pious  women,  good  souls,  have 
also  played  into  the  hands  of  infidels,  and  done  them  much 
service. 

"  Ignorant  missionaries  of  the  revival  and  extreme  Cal- 
vinistic  school  have  been  great  barriers  in  the  way  of  the 
gospel  in  India. 

"  Why  is  it  that  '  liberal '  Churchmen  don't  work  ? 
Why  don't  they  take  up  missions,  tract  and  other 
societies  ?  They  leave  these  to  many  old  wives.  The  good 
and  wise  men  among  the  'Evangelicals'  would  be  thankful 
for  their  aid." 

"March  11th. — I  have  been  astounded  by  a  most  in- 
fluential member  of  the  Church  saying  to  me,  '  What  is  it 
to  me  whether  Christ  worked  miracles  or  rose  from  the 
dead  !  We  have  got  the  right  idea  of  God  through  Him. 
It  is  enough,  that  can  never  perish  !'  And  this  truth  is 
like  a  flower  which  has  grown  from  a  dunghill  of  lies  and 
myths  !  Good  Lord,  deliver  me  from  such  conclusions  ! 
If  the  battle  has  come,  let  it  ;  but  before  God  I  will  fight 

VOL.  ir.  Y 


322  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

it  with  tliosc  only,  be  tliey  few  or  liuiny,  who  behove  in  a 
risen,  Hving  Saviour. 

"  This  revelation  of  tlie  influence  of  surface  criticism  has 
thrown  me  back  immensely  upon  all  who  hold  fast  by  an 
objective  revelation.  Nothing  can  possibly  move  me  from 
Jesus  Christ  the  living  Saviour,  the  Divine  Saviour,  the 
Atoning  Saviour,  whatever  be  the  philosophy  of  that  atone- 
ment. I  fear,  yet  fear  not,  a  great  battle  with  all  foims  of 
Antichrist." 

"  A'pvil  G. — If  the  Church  of  Scotland  Avill  relax  her 
formula,  improve  her  worship,  by  using  a  liturgy  as  well  as 
extempore  prayer,  prescribe  a  regular  course  of  Scripture 
lessons  for  reading  in  Church,  have  good  music  and  organs 
if  need  be,  no  patronage,  a  more  careful  superintendence 
of  men,  as  was  done  by  the  old  superintendents,  establish 
a  Central  Sustentation  Fund  to  support  and  stimidate 
Home  Mission  work — then  we  may  be  stronger  than  ever. 
We  must  be  the  Church  of  evangelical  freedom  and 
progress. 

" .  .  .  .  If  the  sorrows  of  Christ  Avere  the  necessary 
result  of  His  relationship  to  God  and  man,  must  they  not 
continue  ?  Why  not,  but  in  a  form  consistent  with  and 
modified  by  His  present  glorified  and  triumphant  state  ? 

"  Our  heaven  is  not  a  selfish  one.  It  is  sympathy  with 
Christ.  A  part  of  its  glory  may  be  noble  suffering  such 
as  a  wise  and  good  man  would  prefer  inconceivably  to  the 
spiritual  self-indulgence  of  golden  harps  and  enjoyment. 

"  Then  cometh  the  end  !  When  ?  But  until  then — 
what  ?  What  of  the  wicked  ?  What  of  their  education 
beyond  the  grave  ?  What  of  the  mission  of  the  Church 
to  them  ?  May  not  our  Foreign  Mission  last  in  the  next 
world  ?  What  if  tremendous  self-sacrifice  Avill  be  demanded 
of  the  Church  to  save  the  wicked,  in  ever}'  case  where  that 
is  morally  possible,  and  the  death  of  Christ  for  sinners 
be  repeated  in  principle  ? 

"  0  blessed  God  !  How  beautiful  is  that  blue  sky  seen 
through  my  small  study  window  !  What  glory  in  Thy 
clouds  ?  What  calm  and  peace  above  this  world  of  battle 
and  of  blood  ! 

"  We   are  made  for   society.     God   has  implanted   the 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  323 

social    instinct   in    us,    but   the   only  bond   of  society   is 
unselfishness." 

From  Sir  Akthur  Helps  :— 

CoTTKciL  Office,  1870. 

"  You  are  a  very  foolish  man  in  one  thing ;  and,  as  a 
sincere  friend,  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you  so.  I  have  noticed 
this  error  in  you  more  than  once.  You  are  by  nature,  and 
you  cannot  help  yourself,  however  much  yoa  may  try  to 
fork  Mrs.  Nature  out,  an  eloquent  man  in  talk  as  in 
speaking. 

"  The  good  talk  of  others  excites  you,  and  you  heartily 
respond  to  it. 

"People  never  like  you  better  than  when  you  do  so 
respond.  And  then,  afterwards,  you  have  qualms  of  con- 
science and  worry  yourself  by  saying,  '  Was  I  not  too  tem- 
pestuous ? ' 

"  No,  you  v/ere  not ;  you  were  never  more  agreeable. 
I  must,  as  a  true  friend,  drive  this  silly  notion  out  of  your 
head. 

"  For  example,  the  other  day  that  clever  Saturday  re- 
viewer who  sat  next  to  me  was  your  most  dire  opponent. 
He  fired  arrows  into  you,  sharp  arrows.  You  went  on, 
never  minding.  With  the  arrows  sticking  in  your  breast, 
you  went  on  thundering  at  him,  and  being  perfectly  un- 
conscious of  the  adherent  shafts. 

"  Now  that  reviewer  went  away  with  me,  and  he  ex- 
pressed the  most  affectionate  admiration  for  you. 

"I  declare  to  you,  that  vehement  as  you  are  (and  I  love 
your  vehemence),  I  never  heard  you  say  a  discourteous 
thing  to  your  opponent  whether  he  were  present  or  absent, 
and  the  latter  is  by  far  the  greater  merit. 

"  Never  again  talk  to  me  about  repentance  in  this  matter. 
Sometimes  I  think  you  are  too  merciful  to  your  opponents." 

To  PuiNCiPAii  Shairp  : — 

April  23rd,  1870. 

"  Matthew  Arnold  is  good,  but  I  do  not  think  that  the 
inspiration,  in  an}?-  honest  sense,  of  the  Apostles  is  to  be 
set  aside  and  their  testimony  as  to  fact  and  dogma  to  be 

Y  2 


324  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

criticised  as  one  would  a  lecture  of  Jowett's  or  a  volume  of 
Renan.  He  jumps  also  too  rapidly  from  the  position  of 
not  seeing  a  statement  as  true  to  that  of  rejecting  it  as  if 
untrue,  rather  than  to  wait  for  light.  I  see  also  a  ten- 
dency to  deal  with  a  spiritual  machinery  of  motive,  law, 
conscience,  will,  to  the  exclusion  of  a  living  personal  God, 
just  as  men  are  doing  with  macliiner}'-  of  law  in  the  natural 
world.  But  I  did  not  mean  to  write  an  article.  I  believe 
the  Bible  from  Genesis  to  Revelation  will  be  recoijnised 
more  and  more  as  a  revelation  chosen  and  approved  of  by 
God,  as  the  best  possible,  just  as  true  science  increases  in 
breadth,  unity,  and  depth.  I  despise  and  abhor  that  self- 
indulcfence  of  whim,  and  measurinc;  evervthingr  bv  the 
agreeable.  I'd  rather  sweep  chiinneys  and  be  a  man,  than 
a  king  and  be  a  spoon." 

To  Mrs.  Macleoi>  : — 

Balmoral,  May,  ISTO. 

"  Yesterday  was  a  day  of  battle  and  of  triumph  and  no 
mistake  for  my  friends  the  evil  '  speerits.'  Through  the 
ignorance  of  that  Avretched  '  Boots '  I  was  ke})t  hanging 
about  the  Perth  platform  from  12  noon-day,  till  11.45  p.m. 
Think  of  it  if  you  can,  sleeping,  walking,  yawning,  smok- 
ing, groaning,  smiling  and  abusing  !  A  train  leaves  Aber- 
deen at  3  A.M.  while  the  Queen  is  here.  I  got  it.  Mes- 
senger's carriage  full,  of  course.  Had  to  hire  another. 
Arrived  here  at  6  a.m.  Have  slept  since,  and  ])reakfasfod 
in  my  own  room.  Seen  no  one.  Tired,  but  have  been 
worse. 

"  On  opening  my  bag  found  hair-brushes  and  comb  left 
behind!     Of  course.      Oh  these  wee  deevils!" 

To  Eev.  A.  Clekk,  LL.D.  :— 

"  That  early  school  of  Campbeltown — boys  first  and 
lads  afterwards — up  to  college  days  has  had  a  deep  effect 
on  me.  I  am  amazed  as  I  think  of  the  reckless  and 
affectionate  abandon  with  which  I  threw  myself  into  it  ! 
!My  slap-dash  manner  and  words  are  its  result,  and  will 
stick  to  me  more  or  less  all  my  life." 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.         325 

To  the  Same,  on  tke  death  of  a  very  dear  son  : — 

Glasgow,  1870. 
".  .  .  .  I  trust  you  and  Jessie  realise  the  truth  of 
Adie's  life  and  love  to  you  all.  He  is  not  unless  he  re- 
members, and  as  he  does  he  loves.  I  always  think  of  him 
as  received  by  his  numerous  relations,  grandfathers  and 
grandmothers,  aunts  and  uncles,  and  his  little  brother 
grown  up  and  feeling  so  thoroughly  at  home,  and  re- 
joicing in  life  and  in  hope,  and  sustained  by  a  great  faith 
in  the  hope  of  meeting  you  all,  and  in  you  all  pleasing 
God  on  earth  as  the  highest  of  all.  I  preached  lately 
on  death  in  the  light  of  Christ  coming  for  us  and 
taking  us  to  Himself,  and  on  heaven  as  a  place  pre- 
pared for  us,  i.e.  adapted  in  every  detail  to  the  feelings, 
associations,  &c.,  of  human  beings,  young  and  old,  culti- 
vated and  ignorant.  All  this  is  necessarily  bound  up  with 
the  fact  that  He  who  was  a  child,  as  well  as  a  man,  who 
lived  among  and  loved  such  persons  as  ourselves,  must 
build,  furnish  and  adorn  the  house  in  a  way  suitable  to 
all  the  members  of  His  own  family — the  dear  bairns  most 
of  all,  for  them  He  took  to  his  own  heart." 

His  summer  quarters  were  fixed  for  this  season  at 
Java  Lodge,  in  the  island  of  Mull,  not  far  from  the 
celebrated  ruins  of  Duart  Castle.  The  view  from 
the  coast  was  superb,  including,  what  was  to  him 
of  unfading  interest — the  hills  of  Morven  and 
distant  Fiunary,  the  scene  of  his  earliest  and  happiest 
associations. 

From  his  JoUENAIi  : — 

Java  Lodge,  July  17,  1870. 
"  The  Assembly — for  I  must  go  back  in  my  brief  record 
of  events — passed  off  well.  Its  characteristic  was  its  treat- 
ment of  questions  chiefly  bearing  on  the  practical  life  of 
the  Church,  The  Patronage  question,  though  carried  by 
a  large  majority,  did  not  excite  much  enthusiasm  ;  first, 
because  there  was  no  great  hope  of  Government  taking  it 


326  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

up  unless  a  strong  2)olitical  pressure  was  brought  to  Lear 
upon  it — this  was  not  likely  from  the  influence  of  politieal 
Dissenters  on  the  elections  in  Scotland  ; — and,  secondly, 
should  it  be  carried,  we  felt  no  great  security  for  better 
ministers  being  appointed  than  now,  when  the  people  have 
it  practically  all  their  own  way,  checked  by  Patronage.  But 
the  resolution  of  the  Assembly  put  us  in  a  better  position 
with  the  country.  Dr.  Cook,  almost  the  only  statesman 
we  have,  acted  a  very  unselfish  and  patriotic  part,  seeking 
the  good  of  the  Church,  and  not  a  party  triumph. 

"  I  spoke  on  Patronage,  Christian  Life,  Home  Missions, 
and  India.  I  published  m}^  sermon  given  at  the  opening 
of  the  Assembly.     Put  how  can  I  publish  as  I  preach  ! 

"  I  have  this  moment  heard  that  France  has  declared 
war  against  Prussia.  It  is  awful  to  think  of  the  thousands 
who  are  on  this  quiet  Sunday,  here  all  peace,  marching  to 
wounds  and  death.  The  Lord  Jesus  is  over  all !  This  is 
an  end  of  the  Napoleon  dynasty,  and  an  end  of  Rome  for 
the  Pope  !     So  much  for  the  dogma  of  the  Infallibility. 

"  The  Emperor  is  mad !  He  must  fail.  I  argue  that 
the  French  dare  not  cross  the  Rhine  at  Strasbur?,  as  the 
Prussians  will  advance  from  Coblentz  and  Maintz — these 
being  magnificent  bases  of  operation — and  they  will  thus 
outflank  the  French,  and  compel  them  to  keep  to  Metz  as 
their  centre.     They  are  outnumbered,  and  must  fail. 

"August  10. — Victory,  victory  for  Prussia  !  (WoerfJi.) 
We  shall  have  the  grand  battle  east  of  Metz.  If  the 
French  gain,  by  dividing  the  Prussians,  what  then  ?  It 
would  be  but  momentary.  To  cross  the  Rhine  is  not 
impossible.  But  the  French  are  outnumbered,  and  will 
receive  a  terrible  smash !  They  will  fiill  back  on  Paris, 
Paris  will  revolt,  Napoleon  wil4  abdicate,  and  in  three 
weeks  be,  with  his  family,  in  London.  There  will  be  a 
Provisional  Government.  All  will  be  confusion.  The 
Lord  reigns  ! " 

"Sunday,  27th. — What  a  glorious  day!  I  preached  on 
Missions.  These  days  of  preaching  make  the  little  High- 
land churches  the  monuments  to  me  of  the  most  hajipy 
days  of  my  sojourn.  Never  did  the  landscape  appear  more 
magnificent ;  the  shadows  and  lights  upon  the  hills  were 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  327 

uneartlily.  Sliien,  in  glory,  a  rainbow  rose — for  there  was 
no  arch — up  from  the  Buachaill  Etive,  and  was  such  as  the 
Shekinah  may  have  aj^peared  to  the  tribes  who  from  afar 
looked  on  the  encampment  of  Israel.  The  sea  crisp  Avith 
sparkling  waves  ;  the  sky  intensely  blue,  in  great  spaces 
between  husfe  masses  of  cumuli  clouds,  with  some  more 
sombre  ;  the  distant  hills  were  near  and  clear,  as  if  seen 
through  crystalline  air  ;  and  then,  the  lights  upon  them  ! 
bright  rays  lighting  up,  below,  yellow  cornfields,  and  green 
pastures  ten  miles  oft",  and  above,  sometimes  a  bare  scuir 
or  deep  corrie,  or  broad  green  hill-back,  with  heavy  dark 
shadows  slowly  pursuing  the  sunlight  over  hill  and  dale. 
I  beheld  Morven  along  with  Aunt  Jane.  We  gazed  together 
on  the  distant  church,  beside  which  as  holy  a  family  lie 
interred  as  I  have  ever  known.  I  saw  the  trees  which 
mark  Samuel  Cameron's  house,  where  I  spent  such  happy 
years,  and  received  an  education,  the  education  of  my 
beloved  ones  in  Fiunary  included,  such  as  has  moulded 
my  whole  life.  I  enjoyed  one  of  those  seasons  of  intense 
and  rare  blessing  when  tears  come  we  cannot  tell  wh}^, 
except  from  a  joy  that  rises  in  silent  prayer  and  praise  to 
the  Creator  and  Redeemer. 

"Dear  Dr.  Craik  is  dead,  and  his  funeral  sermon  has 
this  day  been  preached.  His  illness  and  death — how  real 
have  both  been  to  me  !  He  was  a  good  man,  a  great 
strength  to  the  Church,  and  a  most  sincere  friend,  and  I 
mourn  his  loss. 

"  Blessed  be  God  for  the  gathering  in  and  eternal  union 
of  His  people.  Our  friends  in  heaven  remain  the  same 
persons,  with  all  their  sinless  peculiarities.  They  therefore 
remember  us,  and  love  us  more  than  ever.  Are  they  in- 
terested in  us  !  perhaps  concerned  about  us  ?  "Why  not ! 
The  joy  of  the  redeemed  is  not  a  selfish  joy.  I  would 
despise  the  saint  who  enjo3'ed  himself  in  a  glorious 
mansion  singing  psalms,  and  who  did  not  wish  his  joy 
disturbed  by  sharing  Christ's  noble  and  grand  care  about 
the  world.  So  long  as  man,  and  my  dear  ones  are 
in  '  the  current  of  the  heady  fight,'  I  don't  wish  to  be 
imorant  of  them  on  the  "ground  that  it  would  Sfive  me 
pam  and  mar  my  joy  !     I  prefer  any  pain  to  such  joy  !     I 


3^8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

caimot  think  it  possible  that  my  heaven  there  shall  be 
different  from  my  heaven  here,  which  consists  in  sympathy 
with  C^irist.  If  He  has  a  noble  anxiety,  limited  by  jjerfect 
faith,  in  what  is  going  on  upon  earth ;  if  human  sin  is  areality 
to  Him  ;  if  His  life  there  as  well  as  here  is  by  faith  in  the 
Father  ;  if  he  watches  for  the  end,  and  feels  human  sin  and 
sorrow,  and  rejoices  m  the  good,  and  feels  the  awfLdness  of 
the  wrong,  yet  ever  has  deep  peace  in  God  ;  why  should  not 
Plis  people  have  the  joy  of  sharing  this  Godlike  burthen 
of  struggling  humanity  ?  '  Then  comcth  the  end.'  But  the 
end  is  not  yet.  The  final  day  of  judgment  may  be  millions 
of  years  hence.  Until  then  the  whole  Church  may  have 
its  education  of  labour  and  teaching  continued  in  mighty 
ventures  of  self-sacrifice,  and  in  ten  thousand  ways  put  to 
the  proof,  in  order  to  improve  those  talents  of  faith, 
self-denial,  hope,  acquired  on  earth.  This  might  imply 
suffering  ;  why  not  ?  Many  picture  a  heaven  which  is 
a  reilection  of  their  own  selfish  nature.  '  Don't  trouble  us; ' 
'  Tell  us  no  bad  news  ; '  '  "VVe  are  saved,  let  others  drown ; ' 
'  What  is  the  earth  to  us  ?  '  '  It  is  past  ;  give  us  fine 
music,  fine  scenery,  and  let  the  earth — shall  I  write  it  ? — 
go  to  the  devil ! '  That  is  not  my  heaven !  I  wish  to 
know,  I  wish  to  feel,  I  wish  to  share  Christ's  sympathies, 
until  the  end  coines. 

"  The  idea  that  Dr.  Craik  no  longer  cares  about 
Missions  to  India,  would  give  me  a  poor  idea  of  a  heaven 
of  sympathy  with  Jesus  Christ." 

To  Mrs.  Dbummond,  Megginch  Castle  : — 

Isle  of  Mull,  Tdh  August,  1870. 
"  I  am  in  retreat,  banished  to  a  spot  beyond  sj^ace, 
and  where  time  merges  into  eternity.  Posts  are  rare. 
Their  news  is  fost  mortem  —  dead  —  belonging  to  a 
past  world  history  !  Your  kind  note  arrived  here  long 
after  Dean  Stanley  had  become  Archbishop,  and  the 
Established  Church  destroyed.  To  have  met  him  in  your 
house  would  have  been  a  true  delight  to  me,  but  I  was 
and  am  still  in  ]\Iull,  and  where  Midi  is,  no  one  knows 
except  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  who  knows  everything,  and 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE.  329 

Le  only  guesses  about  it ;  so  I  can  only  express  my  great 
regret  at  having  been  so  far  away,  and  thus  deprived  of 
such  good  company.  There  was  a  foolish  report  spread  here 
this  morning  by  a  chance  whaler,  that  a  war  had  broken 
out  in  Europe,  that  the  French  had  taken  Berlin,  and, 
after  landing  at  Aberdeen,  w^ere  marching  on  Glasgow.  If 
this  is  true  I  won't  leave  Mull  until  peace  is  proclaimed  ; 
but,  if  the  news  proves  a  canard,  as  I  think  quite  possi])le, 
I  shall  return  this  week  to  Glasgow,  which  I  hope  to 
reach  six  weeks  after  the  world,  according  to  John  Gum- 
ming, is  consumed  !  " 

T(j  the  Eev.  Thomas  Young  : — 

AiKjust,  1870. 

"As  to  sudden  death  I  never  could  pray  to  be  delivered 
from  it,  but  only  to  be  ready  for  it.  God  alone  who  knows 
our  frame  and  temperament,  knows  by  what  death  we  can 
best  glorify  Him.  Sudden  death  may  to  many  be  a  great 
mercy." 

To  A.  Strahan,  Esq. : — 

Java  Lodge,  August,  1870. 

"  What  an  evening  of  glory  !  The  lights,  the  hills,  the 
castled  promontory  are  as  of  old,  and  years  too  have  fled, 
and  Ossian  is  old  also. 

"  What  a  dinner  awaited  you  !     Flags  flying,  chickens 

delicate  as  sonnets  of  Miss ,  vegetables  as  many  as  the 

articles  on  ,  and  far  more  digestible.      Ghampagne 

with  a  brilliancy  and  bouquet  that  rivalled  the  papers  of  the 

editor,  rice  pudding  as   pure  and  wholesome  as  's 

sermons.  While  every  hill 
looked  down,  and  every  coney 
opened  its  eyes,  and  the  fish 
swam  and  the  ocean  mur- 
mured, and  the  red  deer  got 
white,  all  with  excitement 
to  see — what  ?  Your  arrival 
that  arrived  not.  Oh,  it  was 
sad,  sad  ! " 


330  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

From  his  JornxAL  : — 

"  War !  How  strange  tliat  war  has  formed  the  subject  of 
our  oldest  poems,  paintings,  and  histories,  that  it  is  at  this 
moment  as  terrible  as  ever  !  What  docs  it  mean  ?  How 
can  we  account  for  its  existence,  its  apparent  necessity  in 
the  kingdom  of  God  ?  It  does  not  imply  any  personal 
hate  whatever,  no  more  than  the  execution  of  a  male- 
factor does  cruelty  and  love  of  blood.  The  bravest  soldier 
is  associated  with  the  gentleman,  and  highest  chivalry. 
It  seems  to  me  that  lawful  war,  as  distinct  from  war  of 
passion,  originates  in  what  appears  to  be  a  social  law. 
That  as  God  wishes  mankind  to  be  divided  into  nations 
smaller  or  greater,  and  as  no  nation  ought  to  exist  in 
which  there  is  not  government,  and  as  government  implies 
power  to  protect  life  and  j^i'opcrty  and  enforce  its  laws,  so 
must  the  more  powerful  govern  for  the  greatest  good  of 
the  greatest  number.  Who  the  most  powerful  are  can  be 
determined  only  by  war,  unless  the  weak  give  in.  It  is 
by  this  law  of  the  weak  giving  way  to  the  strong,  by  this 
sifting  process  of  war,  that  our  clans  have  been  absorbed 
into  a  small  nation,  and  small  nations  into  a  great  one, 
strong  enough  to  hold  its  own.  Any  race,  or  any  people 
have,  therefore,  a  perfect  abstract  right  to  assert  its  superi- 
ority or  independence  if  it  is  superior ;  but  war  alone 
can  determine  that,  if  the  fact  is  disputed.  In  the  long- 
run,  as  a  rule,  each  successive  great  advance  in  the  world's 
civilization  and  progress  has  been  the  result  of  war. 
Battles  are  great  sacrifices  preceding  resurrections.  "\Miat 
man  designs  is  one  thing,  and  what  God  brings  to  pass  is 
another.  This  great  war  is  really  to  determine  not  whether 
Louis  Napoleon  is  to  be  Emperor,  but  whether  the  Latin 
or  Teutonic  race  is  to  be  strongest  in  Europe  and  the 
world  ! 

"  As  to  '  the  inventions  for  murdering  people' — this  is  all 
nonsense.  Every  contribution  made  by  science  to  improve 
instruments  of  war  makes  war  shorter,  and  in  the  end  Ics? 
terrible  to  human  hfe,  and  human  progress.  Never  was 
the  ameliorating  influences  of  education  and  Christian 
benevolence  more  visible  than  in  this  war.  The  more 
that  kiiigdoms  are  much  about    the  same   strength,   the 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE. 


331 


less  likely  is  war.  And,  by  the  way,  it  is  an  index  of  a 
time  when  one  state  will  respect  its  neighbour,  that  the 
tendency  of  all  improvements  in  guns,  &c.,  is  to  make 
defence  in  an  increasing  ratio  more  powerful  than  attack. 
But  the  ultimate  defence  must  be  in  man,  for  nations  are 
really  strong  not  in  machinery  but  in  man.  Their  man- 
hood must  alone  or  chiefly  determine  their  freedom  and 
independence. 

"  '  Peace  at  any  price '  is  but  selfish  indulgence  at  any 
price.  Liberty  and  self-government  at  any  price  I  Life  is 
of  no  value  without  freedom." 


To  A.  Strahai^,  Esq. : — 

"  I  so  hate  those 
eternal  love  stories,  this 
everlasting  craving  after 
a  sweetheart  !  I  wish 
the}''  would  marry  in  the 
first  chapter,  and  be 
done  with  it.  Is  there 
nothing  to  interest  human  beinofs  but  marriafje  ? 
a  fuss  to  make  about 
those  two  when  in 
love  !" 


What 


To  A.  Strahan,  Esq. : — 

"  Whatever  may  be  my  fault,  it  does  not  consist  in  my 
chariot-wheels  tarrying ;  as  the  following  statement  will 
prove  : — 

"■Friday,  31s^  Se2)tember. — Left  Glasgow  for  Aberdeen 
at  nine,  p.m.,  arrived  at  Aberdeen  at  three,  A.M. 

"Saturday,  1st  October. — Left  for  Balmoral.  Dined 
with  Her  Majesty. 

"  October  2. — Preached  a  sermon  on  *  War  and  God's 
Judgments,'  which  the  Queen  asks  me  to  publish,  and  to 
dedicate  to  herself,  as  soon  as  possible — not  a  line  having 
been  written. 


332 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


"  October  3. — Joined  my  wife  in  Pertlishire,  dead  beat. 

"October  4. — Rested  my  chariot- wheels  and  greased 
tliem. 

"  October  5. — Returned  to  Glasgow,  and  answered  twenty 
letters ;  wrote  long  Minutes  for  Sealkote  and  Calcutta  ; 
had  prayer-meeting  in  the  evening. 

"  October  6. — Commanded  by  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and 
left  at  seven,  A.M.,  for  Dunrobin,  220  miles  off.  Dined  at 
half-past  nine,  left  the  drawing-room  at  half-past  one,  A.M., 
and  smoking-room  at  half-past  three.  Left  per  train  at 
six,  A.M.,  and  never  halted  five  minutes,  being  past  time, 
until  I  reached  Glasgow  at  half-past  six  p.m. 

"  October  7. — A  weary  Saturday,  to  prepare  two  new 
sermons  for  Sunday  amidst  manifold  interrii})tions. 

"  October  8. — Preached  twice. 

"  October  9. — Again  dead  beat, 
and  went  to  see  my  old  mother 
the  first  time  for  six  weeks. 

"October  10. — Returned,  and 
received  a  letter  from  a  patient 
friend,  asking,  '  Why  tarry  thy 
chariot- wheels  ?'!!!! 

"  Bother  the  chariot-wheels  ! 

"  I  am  as  nervous  as  an  old 
cat." 


To  A.  StkaH-VN,  Esq. : — 

"  I  am  more  anxious  about  Good  Words  than  per- 
haps even  you  are.  It  is  one  of  my 
heaviest  hourly  worries,  how  little  I 
have  been  able  to  do  it.  As  a  })ublic 
man  I  am  worked  from  6  A.M.  till  10  p.m., 
and  if  a  man  must  be  occupied  twenty- 
four  hours  in  killing  rats  or  ^'hinting 
carrots  it  is  practically  the  same  to  him, 

a.s    far    as   time    is    concerned,    as  if  he  were   attacking 

Paris." 


MODERATORSHIP  AND  PATRONAGE. 


333 


To  his  Eldest  Son  : — 


1st  December,  1870. 


*'  I  was  very  glad,  my  boy,  to  hear  from  you,  and  that 
you  have  told  me  so  well  and  so  fully  all  you  are  about.  I 
am  quite  satisfied  with  everything,  and  pray  God  that  you 
may  be  able  to  form  those  habits  of  study  and  of  master- 
ing difficulties,  and  of  persevering  in  what  may  be  uncon- 
genial but  necessary  for  you,  all  of  which  is  of  such  im- 
portance. You  are,  in  fact,  now  moulding  your  whole  future 
life.  May  it  be  worthy  !  Never,  never  forget  your  daily 
dependence  on  God  and  His  interest  in  you.  The  Stock- 
port panic  might  have  had  a  fearful  ending,  but  it  was 
stopped  in  time — 3,000,  three  stories  up,  and  but  one 
stair  of  outlet,  with  the  panic  of  fire  !  ^'' 

"  I  am  o-ivingr  the  last  corrections  to  the  sermon  on  war. 

O  O 

When  you  read  it,  it  will  appear  very  simple  to  you,  and 
easily  written.  But  it  may  encourage  you  to  know  that 
this  is  the  seventh  time,  at  least,  I  have  corrected  it,  and 
each  time  just  as  fully  as  the  previous  one.  So  difficult 
do  I  find  it  to  write  with  tolerable  accuracy.  Begin 
soon ! " 


To  Mrs.  Warrick,  New  York. 


Glasgorv,  Decemher  15th,  1870. 


"  I  heard  all  about  j'our  great  sorrow,  all  those  pleas- 
ing yet  harrowing  details  which  make  one  realise  the 
whole  scene.  Such  an  affliction  is  to  us  a  profound 
mystery.      This  seems    to  me   the   lesson  taught    by  the 

*  He  refers  to  a  panic  wliicli  took  place  while  he  was  preaching  at 
Stockport  on  behalf  of  his  Snnday  School  Union,  when  his  presence  of 
mind  and  calmness  did  much  to  preserve  oi'der. 


33+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Book  of  Job,  for  Job  never  found  out  in  this  world  why 
he  had  been  afflicted,  although  he  knew  that  it  was  not 
because  of  his  individual  sins  (and  he  was  right),  but  in 
order  to  bring  out  the  reality  of  his  life  in  God  ;  yet  he 
was  left  in  darkness,  and  altht)ugh  sons  and  daughters 
were  given  him,  the  old  dear  ones  were  seen  no  more. 
And  there  are  like  times  of  darkness  in  which  the  servant 
of  the  Lord  can  see  no  light,  but  must  be  cast  on  the  bare 
arm  of  God  for  strength,  and  on  the  heart  of  God  for 
peace.  Yet  we  can  never  be  in  such  pitch  darkness  as 
Job  was,  now  that  we  see  God's  own  beloved  Son  as 
the  man  of  sorrows ;  and  in  Him  have  the  assurance 
given  us  of  a  Father  Who  will  ever  act  as  a  Father  even  in 
sending  grief.  Who  never  acts  arbitrarily,  but  Who  appeals 
to  the  heart  of  the  most  tender  and  loving  parent  to  judge 
from  his  own  truest  affection  towards  his  children,  as  to 
what  He,  Who  is  perfect  love,  feels  towards  themselves. 
Faith  in  this  God  is  our  only  refuge  and  strength  in  times 
of  dark  and  mysterious  sorrow. 

"  I  am  utterly  powerless  to  help at  Chicago.      I 

never  directly  or  indirectly  asked  a  favour  small  or  great 
from  court  or  government,  and  never  will.  I  am  tongue- 
tied  and  hand-tied ;  having  so  much  intercourse  with 
both,  this  seems  strange,  but  it  is  a  fact." 


CHAPTER  XXTTL 
1871—72. 

THE  last  years  of  his  life  were  marked  by  the 
manner  in  which  both  his  character  and  convic- 
tions ripened.  There  was  no  diminution  of  the  wealth 
of  his  humour,  and  his  enjoyment  of  outward  things 
was  keen  and  fresh,  though  tinged  with  a  certain 
pensive  and  recurrent  sadness.  But  as  his  health 
became  more  broken,  the  sense  of  approaching  age, 
the  brevity  of  the  time  given  him  to  work  seemed 
continually  present,  and  lent  an  increased  earnest- 
ness and  thoughtful  care  to  the  fulfilment  of  the  most 
commonplace  duty.  He  spoke  and  acted  as  one  who 
knew  '  the  time  was  short.' 

His  health  was  gradually  but  decidedly  becoming 
infirm.  In  the  spring  of  1871  he  had  so  severe  an 
attack  of  his  old  enemy  that  he  was  for  some  time 
confined  to  bed,  and  his  strength  was  so  much  impaired 
that  his  brother,  Professor  Macleod,  forbade  his  under- 
taking any  engagements  which  implied  fatigue.  At 
the  end  of  April,  on  Sir  William  Jenner's  advice,  he 
went  to  Ems,  and  for  a  time  found  much  benefit  from 
rest  and  from  the  waters  of  the  famous  Briinnen.  In 
summer    he  and  his   family  spent   their  holiday  at 


336  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

Geddos,  the  early  home  of  Mrs.  Macleocl,  and  doubly 
precious  to  him  as  associated  with  many  memories 
of  John  Mackintosh.  It  was  a  happy  time,  and  ho 
regained  so  much  of  his  old  health  and  spirits,  that 
'  on  the  return  of  the  fomily  to  Glasgow  he  was  able 
to  enter  with  considerable  vigour  on  his  winter's 
work. 

There  were  some  things  which  specially  coloured 
his  later  thoughts.  He  was  deeply  moved  by  the 
condition  of  religious  belief  in  academic  and  literary 
circles.  As  he  had  opportunities  possessed  by  few 
clergymen,  of  becoming  acquainted  with  current 
opinion,  not  merely  from  books,  but  by  intercourse 
with  representative  men,  his  interest  in  the  reli- 
gious difficulties  of  many  scholars  and  thinkers  was 
proportionately  keen.  His  anxieties  regarding  such 
matters  frequently  found  vent  in  lamentations  over 
the  ignorance  or  indifference  of  ecclesiastics  in  Scot- 
land as  to  all  questions  except  the  most  trivial. 
'  They  are  squabbling  about  the  United  Presbyterian, 
Free  Church,  or  Established,  when  the  world  is  asking 
whether  Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead  ! ' 

India  and  the  condition  of  the  heathen  were  sub- 
jects which  he  was  never  weary  of  pondering  by  him- 
self, or  of  discussing  with  his  friends.  The  impression 
his  Eastern  journey  had  made  on  him  was  profound, 
and  showed  itself  latterly  in  an  incessant  stud}"  of  the 
problems  which  the  spectacle  of  so  many  millions  of 
brothers  and  sisters  living  in  heathendom  suggested. 
He  had  not  looked  on  these  millions  with  the  eye  of  a 
dogmatist  who  measures  all  he  sees  by  the  scale  of  a 
hard,  scholastic  theory.     He  did  not  ask  how  they 


1871 — 72-  337 

stood  related  to  some  theological  tenet,  but  rather 
'  What  are  these  men  and  women  to  the  living 
God?'  He  had  tried  to  understand  the  flesh  and 
blood  affinities,  the  prejudices,  difficulties,  aspirations 
of  the  Hindoo  mind,  and  to  comprehend  as  far  as  pos- 
sible a  humanity  which  had  grown  up  under  conditions 
so  different  from  those  which  had  moulded  his  own. 
The  effect  of  all  this  was  to  lead  him  back  to  first 
principles,  to  oblige  him  to  deal  with  the  mind  of  the 
personal  Saviour,  as  of  more  account  than  Church 
formularies.  His  theology  had  ever  been  centred  in 
the  character  of  God  as  revealed  in  Christ,  and  he 
instinctively  now  referred  every  doubtful  question  to 
this  ultimate  standard.  '  Do  you  think  it  would  bo 
like  Christ  so  to  act?'  or  'From  all  you  know  of 
God,  do  you  think  it  would  be  like  Him  to  do  that  ?  ' 
— with  such  questions,  as  many  of  his  hearers  remem- 
ber, it  was  his  habit  to  clinch  many  an  argument  when 
addressing  his  congregation  in  the  Barony.  To  him 
therefore  it  was  anything  but  glad  tidings  to  preach 
to  the  educated  natives  of  Hindostan  that  all  their 
parents  and  ancestors  were  suffering  the  pains  of  hell 
because  they  had  not  believed  in  One  of  Whom  they 
had  never  heard,  or  to  declare  to  them  that  their  own 
ultimate  salvation  depended  on  their  acceptance  of 
some  theory  of  atonement  which  was  beset  with  intel- 
lectual and  moral  difficulties.  On  behalf  of  England's 
greatest  dependency,  he  longed  to  see  missionaries 
intent  upon  bringing  these  human  hearts  into  living 
contact  with  the  love,  the  holiness,  the  character  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  who  would  let  the  New  Testament 
speak  its  own  language  to  their  spirits,  rather  than 

VOL.    II.  Z 


338  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD, 

througli  the  medium  of  a  system  of  theology.  Such 
reflections  on  the  state  of  the  heathen,  inspired,  as 
they  were,  by  love  to  man  and  firm  reliance  on  the 
righteousness  and  goodness  of  God,  opened  up  to  him 
a  new  region  of  thought  as  to  the  character  of  the 
future  state,  and  the  possibility  of  a  gospel  being 
preached  to  those  who,  in  this  life,  had  never  an 
opportunity  of  accepting  or  rejecting  the  truth  as  it 
is  in  Christ. 

The  following  notes  of  a  sermon  preached  in 
September,  1871,  indicate  the  tendency  of  his  views 
respecting  the  condition  of  the  heathen  beyond  the 
grave : — 

"  What  is  to  become  of  those  who  never  have  heard 
of,  or  have  never  had  opportunities  of  hearing  of  God, 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost — who  have  never  heard 
of  that  truth  which  to  us  is  inseparable  from  all  our 
thoughts  of  salvation  ?  Of  these  there  are  millions  upon 
millions,  thousands  of  millions  who  have  since  creation 
lived  and  died,  and  passed  away  into  the  unseen.  There 
are  hundreds  of  millions  now  alive  in  the  same  condition 
in  the  kingdoms  of  heathendom  :  more  numerous  than  any 
human  mind  can  conceive.  In  addition  to  these,  there 
are  millions  in  Cliristendom  who,  from  the  circumstances 
of  their  birth  and  up-bringing,  are  as  practically  ignorant, 
who  never  had  the  means  of  making  any  conscious  choice 
between  the  claims  of  God  on  their  afiection  and 
obedience,  and  the  demands  of  sin  and  of  e^'cry  evil 
passion — to  whose  thoughts  it  would  make  no  practical 
difference  if  all  we  know,  love,  and  rejoice  in  regarding 
God  was  never  heard  or  known  :  no  more  than  the  ex- 
tinction of  the  sun  would  make  any  practical  difference  to 
a  blind  man's  eye.  Sucli  a  question  is  tremondous,  pain- 
ful, oppressive,  often  agonising — even  when  feebly  under- 
stood. We  are  disposed,  from  our  utter  inability  to  take 
in  its  momentous  importance,  to  make  a  positive  efi'ort  to 


iSyi — 72.  339 

put  it  away.  Such  a  fact  as  thousands  of  millions  of 
human  beings  existing  now,  and  existing  for  eternity,  some- 
where, makes  hardly  an  impression  upon  our  minds.  We 
feel,  in  trying  to  realise  it,  as  if  the  finite  tried  to  compre- 
hend the  infinite,  and  so  we  dismiss  the  whole  question. 
But  when  the  complex  idea  is  resolved  into  its  details ; 
when  we  think  of  one  human  being,  with  all  our  own 
powers  and  capacities  for  thinking,  understanding,  remem- 
bering, anticipating,  hoping,  fearing,  rejoicing,  suffering, 
being  holy  as  a  saint  or  wicked  as  a  devil  ;  a  being  made 
after  God's  image,  and  therefore  so  far  divine  ;  an  ob- 
ject of  more  interest  and  importance  to  God  his  Maker 
than  the  material  universe  ;  and  such  a  being  growing 
up  from  infancy  with  as  distinct  and  individual  a  history 
as  ourselves,  a  being,  too,  who  is  for  ever  responsible,  and 
can  for  ever  please  God  and  meet  His  wishes,  or  the 
reverse — then  do  we  in  some  degree  feel  that  any  question 
affecting  him  is  not  a  question  regarding  a  mere  thing, 
however  interesting,  like  the  preservation  or  destruction  of 
a  great  picture,  a  grand  column,  or  stately  palace,  but 
regarding  a  person,  an  immortal  being,  the  noblest  speci- 
men of  the  art  of  God,  the  greatest  building  of  His  hands, 
and  intended  to  be  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  But 
much  more  does  our  interest  increase  if  we  are  personally 
acquainted  with  such  a  being  ;  if  we  have  come  into  con- 
tact with  him  so  as  to  realise  fully  our  common  humanity, 
and  to  sympathize  with  his  bodily  sufferings  or  mental 
sorrows.  Yet  what  would  our  interest  be  if  this  persjon 
were  a  father,  or  mother,  or  child,  or  our  individual  selves  ! 
We  could  not  then  think  of  such  an  one's  fate  for  ever,  as 
we  would  that  of  a  stone  which,  cast  into  the  great  deep, 
sinks  and  passes  at  once  out  of  sight  and  out  of  memory. 
But  what  this  unit  is  to  us,  each  unit  of  the  whole  mass  of 
humanity,  from  Adam  to  the  thousands  who  have  been 
born  and  died  since  we  entered  church,  is  inconceivably 
more  to  God.  Not  one  is  lost  to  His  sight,  not  one  ever 
becomes  to  Him  of  less  importance  as  an  immortal  being  ; 
and  just  as  we  realise  this,  the  question  will  press  itself 
with  increasing  force  on  us,  what  is  to  become  of  them  ? 
We  cannot  get  quit  of  it.     We  may  do  so  in  regard  to  the 

z  2 


340  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

race,  but  we  cannot  in  regard  to  those  units  of  which  the 
race  is  composed,  and  many  a  perplexed  mind,  and  many 
a  weary,  anxious  heart  yearns  for  an  answer. 

"  Many  object  to  bring  such  questions  into  the  pulpit 
at  all.  Is  there  not,  it  is  asked,  enough  that  is  clear, 
simple,  and  of  infinite  importance,  sufficient  to  occupy  with 
profit  the  short  time  allotted  on  the  Lord's-day  for  public 
instruction,  and  for  the  conviction  and  conversion  of  sin- 
ners now,  without  putting  difficulties  into  people's  minds, 
or  raising  doubts  which  it  may  be  impossible  to  dispel  ? 
I  deeply  sympathize  with  this,  and  my  whole  teaching 
testifies  to  the  sincerity  of  my  sympathy,  to  the  earnest- 
ness of  my  desire  that  it  should  be  simple  and  practical, 
and  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  all  doubtful  disputa- 
tions, and  to  aim  constantly  at  one  thing — to  bring  souls 
to  God.  And  I  know  well  how  superficially  any  such 
questions  can  be  dealt  with  in  a  sermon.  But  in  these 
days  men  need  not  avoid  going  to  church  to  avoid  doubts 
being  suggested.  We  have  entered  a  period  of  active 
thought,  such  as  has  not  existed  since  the  Reformation. 
Theological  questions  on  every  tnith  of  Christianity  are, 
within  the  last  few  years,  forced  upon  men's  notice  in 
every  periodical  down  to  the  daily  papers.  Men  cannot 
avoid  them,  but  they  may  avoid  church  if  no  help 
whatever  is  given  to  them  there  to  solve  their  doubts, 
and  to  guide  them  to  truth,  and  to  deal  kindly  and 
candidly  and  intelligently  with  their  difficulties.  For  such 
difficulties  many  true  Christians  have  little  sympathy. 
They  have  sympathy  with  struggles  against  evil  deeds  or 
habits,  but  not  with  such  doubts  as  bewildered  the  mind 
of  St.  Thomas  when  he  refused  to  believe  in  the  resurrec- 
tion. These  Christians,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  have  been 
blessed  with  such  a  disposition,  or  have  been  placed  in 
such  circumstances,  whether  of  early  up-bringing,  or  of 
gospel  preaching,  as  have  enabled  them  to  grow  up 
in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  But  there 
are  others  ditFerently  placed,  and  if  a  minister  can  help 
such  inquirers ;  if  he  can  show  them  that  he  under- 
stands thoir  difficulties,  if  he  feels  with  them  as  a  brother, 
if  ho  preaches  not  merely  what  is  given  him  to  utter,  as  if 


1871 — 72-  341 

he  were  a  machine,  but  what  he  believes  and  feels  as  one 
who  has  to  work  his  way  through  difficulties  like  others  ; 
if  he  has  felt  *  the  burden  of  the  mystery  ; '  if  he  can  put 
them  in  the  way  of  getting  the  truth  ;  if,  in  short,  he  can 
strengthen  their  faith  in  God  and  in  Jesus  as  their  teacher, 
he  will  be  of  some  use,  and  in  spite  of  many  defects  and 
even  errors,  be  a  true  aid  to  his  fellow  men. 

".  .  .  To  believe  that  God  should  create  by  His 
power  millions  of  responsible  beings,  who  are  doomed  to 
agonies  for  ever  for  not  believing  or  not  being  what,  from 
circumstances  over  which  they  had  no  control,  they  could 
not  believe  or  be,  seems  to  many  earnest  minds  quite  im- 
possible. 

" .  .  .  Is  there,  then,  the  possibility  of  the  educa- 
tion of  human  beings,  of  those  at  least  who  have  never 
had  the  means  of  knowing  the  truth,  and  of  choosing  be- 
tween light  and  darkness,  of  believing  in  or  neglecting 
Christ,  being  continued  after  death  ?  Whatever  weight  is 
attached  to  this  reply,  whatever  deliverance  it  may  afford 
to  distressed  souls,  whatever  light  it  may  cast  on  the 
character  and  purposes  of  God  as  revealed  in  Christ  (and 
it  is  held  by  increasing  numbers  of  the  best  men  in  this 
and  other  ages  of  the  Church),  let  us  understand  at  least 
what  it  means.  It  does  not  mean  that  there  is  not  to 
be  a  day  of  judgment,  after  which  the  fate  of  every  indi- 
vidual of  the  human  family  is  to  be  finally  determined. 
But  when  is  this  period  to  dawn  ?  It  may  be  thousands, 
it  may  be  millions  of  years  ere  the  end  comes  when  Christ 
shall  have  delivered  up  the  kingdom  to  God  the  Father. 
Whatever  may  be  done  towards  such  human  spirits  as  we 
have  spoken  of,  it  is  assumed  to  be  before  that.  Nor  does 
it  mean  that  any  man  can  be  saved  here  or  afterwards  in 
a  way  essentially  different  from  that  in  which  he  is  saved 
now,  except  it  may  be  by  severer  chastisement  and  a  more 
trying  discipline.  It  assumes  that  there  is  a  connec- 
tion unchangeable  and  eternal  as  the  law  or  character  of 
God,  between  sin  and  spiritual  suffering.  This  must  show 
itself  in  the  want  of  peace,  joy,  hope,  and  all  that  glory  of 
character  for  which  man  was  created,  and  in  the  ravages' 
of  spiritual  disease,  in  deformity  of  soul,  in  blindness,  deaf- 


342  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

ness,  and  moral  decrepitude.  Consequently,  come  when  it 
may,  in  this  world  or  the  next ;  or  how  it  may,  by  teaching 
or  by  chastisement  ;  or  when  it  may,  in  three  score  and 
ten  years  or  in  hundreds  of  years,  there  must  be  a  con- 
viction of  sin  as  sin,  a  repentance  towards  God,  a  seeing 
His  love,  and  a  choice  of  Himself  as  God,  throu.i^h  the 
redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  before  salvation  is 
possible. 

".  .  .  But  it  is  asked  what  there  is  in  Scripture 
to  forbid  the  belief  which  a  sense  of  God's  love  of 
righteousness  in  them  craves  for,  that,  may  he,  the  term 
of  education  with  millions  of  the  heathen  and  of  the  igno- 
rant, who  have  been  neglected  by  selfish  men,  may  not 
terminate  with  three  score  and  ten  years  ?  It  is  not  said 
that  it  must  be  so,  but  it  is  alleged  that,  for  aught  we 
know,  it  may  be  so.  We  are  reminded  that  each  person 
as  he  dies  lives  on — seen  and  known  by  God.,  and  is  the 
object  of  His  interest  somewhere — that  wherever  he  is  he  is 
as  responsible  there  as  here  ;  and  it  is  asked  whether  that, 
to  us  unseen, — but  to  them  most  real,  state  of  being, — 
as  real  as  if  it  existed  in  a  material  world  like  this, — is 
necessarily  an  abode  of  hopeless  unmitigated  woe  for  such 
persons  as  I  have  alluded  to ;  whether  God's  infinite 
resources  are  at  an  end  in  recfard  to  them,  and  whether 
truth  may  not  be  made  known  there  which  was  never 
heard  here — a  God  revealed  who  was  unknown  here,  a 
Saviour  proclaimed  with  a  fuhiess,  tenderness,  love,  and 
all  sufficiency.  Who  was  never  once  preached  to  them  here  ; 
and  whether,  as  the  result  of  this,  the  kingdom  of  God  may 
not  yet  come  in  a  way  that  we  never  dreamt  of — and, 
alas  !  never  in  our  wretched  and  degraded  feebleness  and 
unbelief  ever  laboured  for  ? 

"  Many  reject  this  thought.  I  remember  the  time  when 
ministers  could  entertain  the  idea  of  God  condemning  an 
infant  to  eternal  misery  from  its  connection  with  Adam 
— an  opinion  which  is  as  horrible  as  any  occurring  in 
Brahminism. 

"  Who  would  not  wish  the  hope,  whose  character  I  have 
sketched,  to  be  true  ?  Who  would  not  feel  a  great  relief  if 
they  only  saw  that  it  may  be  true  ?     .     .     .      I  have  some 


iSyi — 72.  343 

sympathy  witli  the  fanatic  Communist  who  calmly  stands  to 
be  shot,  shouting,  '  Let  me  perish,  if  humanity  is  saved  ! ' 
I  may  not  see  how,  without  faith  in  God  the  Father, 
or  in  Christ  the  Brother,  he  can  obtain  any  true  idea  of 
humanity  as  a  unity,  or  any  real  love  to  it ;  but  still  there 
is  something  grand  in  such  an  idea  rising  higher  than  his 
personal  love  of  life.  But  where  is  there  similar  grandeur 
in  him  who,  professing  to  have  this  faith,  has  not  only  lost 
all  hope  of  humanity  as  a  whole,  but  rests  contented  in 
his  hopelessness ;  who  seems  to  think  that  any  such  hope 
of  the  probable  salvation  of  others  through  Jesus  perils  his 
own,  and  looks  with  nervous  fear  and  jealousy  at  the 
thought  of  any  future  opening  of  the  door  of  the  awful 
prison-house  to  deliver  a  penitent  soul,  Avho  never  in  life 
had  heard  of  Christ,  as  if  this  made  it  possible  that  a  door 
might  be  opened  for  his  own  fall ;  who,  in  spite  of  all  his 
defects,  all  his  sins,  all  his  greed,  all  his  heartlessness, 
all  his  seliishuess,  has  hope  through  the  long  suftering, 
forbearance,  and  patience  of  God,  and  who  yet  feels  in- 
different or  indignant  at  the  thought  of  there  being  possi- 
bly ways  and  means  for  this  same  God  acting  in  mercy  to 
millions  of  miserable  prodigals  who  never  had  his  light — 
a  man  who  cries  out,  not  like  the  Communist,  '  Perish 
myself,  but  live  humanity,'  but,  'Perish  humanity,  if  I 
live  myself ! ' 

"But  the  view  I  speak  of  may  be  dismissed  by  the 
one  assertion  that  it  is  contrary  to  Scripture.  If  so,  it 
is  not  worthy  of  the  consideration  of  those  who  acknow- 
ledge, as  I  do,  the  supreme  authority  of  the  word  of  God. 
But  Christian  teachers  hold  it  who  would  sooner  give  up 
their  Hfe  than  the  authority  of  Scripture.  They  think 
that  the  passages  which  seem  to  forbid  the  thought  have 
reference  to  what  is  to  happen  after  judgment  only. 

"  The  possibility  of  such  an  education  beyond  the  grave 
is  also  what  the  early  Church  and  many  since  believed  to 
be  the  only  possible  meaning  that  could  be  attached  to 
the  preaching  to  the  spirits  that  are  in  prison,  and  which 
has  found  a  place  in  the  creed  of  Christendom  in  the 
article,  '  He  descended  into  hell,'  to  the  unseen  regions, 
or  the  world  of  spirits.     .      .      ." 


344  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  Dr.  John  Macleod  Campbell  : — 

March  16,  1871. 

"  It  was  so  kind  of  you,  and  therefore  so  like  yourself, 
to  have  taken  tlie  trouble  to  write  to  me.  There  is  no 
one  living  who  can  so  minister  to  me  as  you  can.  You 
always  find  my  spirit,  and  enter  into  me,  while  others  only 
touch  me.  I  therefore  feel  towards  you  as  to  no  one  else, 
both  as  friend  and  teacher.  If  ever  you  have  seed  you 
wish  to  sow  in  a  soil  that  will  receive  it  and  keep  it, 
please  cast  it  this  way.  Oh,  that  you  sent  rae  now  and 
then  a  few  life  thoughts  !     How  precious  would  they  be  ! 

"  I  have  had  a  shai-p  and  very  painful  attack  of  gout 
with  sciatica  as  an  interlude,  and  other  pains  for  a 
change.  This  is  the  first  day  I  have  been  out,  for  a 
drive  ;  and  the  blue  sky  and  budding  earth  came  stream- 
ing in  as  a  hfe-joy  to  my  heart,  which  showed  that  the 
ved  was  lifted  up  which  had  been  conceahng  from  miO 
things  beautiful,  '  for  I  saw  nor  felt  how  beautiful  they 
were.'  I  cannot  say  that  spiritual  reahties  were  vividly 
present  to  me  durmg  my  illness  ;  but  I  always  felt  God  as 
a  living  atmosphere  around  me,  and  I  was  filled  with 
peace.  The  lesson  I  think  He  is  teaching  me  is  to  take 
more  care  in  glorifying  Him  in  the  body,  and  to  make  my 
common  life  of  work  more  religious  by  my  hving  more 
quietly,  patiently,  and  obediently.  One  result  of  this  edu- 
cation is,  that  I  have  resolved  not  to  go  to  Lord  Lome's 
marriage.  This  is  a  great  loss  in  very  many  ways  to  me, 
as  I  have  been  asked  to  be  a  guest  at  Windsor ;  but  my 
brother  George  says  '  No,'  and  so  I  say  'Amen  !'  and  feel  at 
rest.  When  the  Communion  is  over,  I  shall  probably  go 
to  some  Spa  abroad,  and  drown  the  enemy  if  possible.  I 
am  too  easily  bothered  and  upset  by  even  trifling  Avork. 
When  I  was  confined  to  bed,  I  read  and  was  fascinated  by 
Hutton's  *  Theological  Essays.'  To  me,  reading  such  a  book 
is  an  era.  He  has  such  a  firm  intellectual  grip  with  one 
hand  of  the  true  scientific  aspects  of  questions,  and  Avith 
the  other  holds  fast,  with  true  spiritual  insight,  to  his 
position  of  '  God  in  Clirist.'  With  his  anchor  fast  Avithin 
the  veil,  he  SAvinfjfs  round  and  round  Avith  a  lon-j^  cable, 
but  always  round  the  centre.      I  think  it  a  great  contribu- 


1871—72.  345 

tion  to  tlie  times,  but  I  cannot  understand  liow  lie  should 
not  welcome  your  views  of  the  atonement,  as  they  seem  to 
me  to  harmonize  so  beautifully  with  his  principles  and  his 
views  of  truth.  I  am  glad  that  he  adheres  to  the  fourth 
Gospel. 

"  What  a  mystery  is  this  slow — to  us,  slow — growth  in 
the  education  of  the  world  !  It  would  be  to  me  still  more 
mysterious,  if  it  were  not  to  be  continued  till  Christ  delivers 
up  the  kingdom.  '  Then  cometh  the  end.'  When — what  ? 
No  doubt  to  the  glory  of  God  in  a  way  and  measure  such  as 
to  overpower  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  whole  family  of 
God.  I  wait  in  the  full  assurance  of  faith.  How  strange, 
too — how  long  the  clouds  Imger  in  the  blue  sky,  which 
nevertheless  are  as  surely  passing  away  as  morning  mists 
before  His  love.  It  is  sweet  to  think  that  such  darkness 
conceals  us  not  from  the  Light  of  Life.  But  the  common 
notion  of  the  punishment  of  hell  fire,  and  for  all  eternity  ; 
the  punishment  of  all  who  have  not  been  elected,  and  have, 
for  Adam's  sin,  been  justly  left  dead  without  an  atonement ; 
the  atonement  itself  as  explained  by  hyper-Calvinists  ;  the 
utter  impossibility  of  any  teaching  or  salvation  after  death 
(how  we  may  not  see)  ;  these,  and  the  whole  complicated 
system  of  sacerdotalism  and  popery,  seem  to  me  a  thousand 
times  doomed.  And  yet,  God  is  so  wise,  so  charitable,  so 
patient,  such  a  Father,  that  even  by  these  ideas,  or  in  spite 
of  them,  He  will  educate  man  for  '  the  fulness  of  time,'  the 
grand  'end!'  I  feel  more  and  more  the  simplicity  and 
grandeur  and  truth  of  Luther's  idea  of  faith — to  be  an  out 
and  out  child ;  to  be  nothing,  that  God  may  be  all,  not 
only  for  us,  but  in  us  ;  and,  perhaps  more  than  Luther 
would  admit,  to  choose  this — and  to  choose  it  not  only 
once  for  all  (a  mighty  choice !),  but  always  and  in  all 
things — what  strength  and  peace !  I  know  the  lesson, 
but  it  seems  to  me  that  I  have  never  learned  it.  And 
heaven  would  be  heaven,  were  it  nothing  more  than  its 
being  the  finishing  of  our  education  by  the  perfect  utterance 
of  '  Our  Father.'  " 


346  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

From  his  Jottrnal  : — 

"  April  dth. — This  is  Communion  Sunday — Easter  Sun- 
day. I  conducted  the  service  in  the  forenoon.  I  am  at 
home  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

"  The  winter's  work  has  been  chiefly  preaching.  I  ex- 
changed with  Donald,  and  preached  the  Temptation  ser- 
mons in  Park  Church,  he  preaching  for  me  for  live  Sundays. 
Had  pleasant  district  meetings,  with  a  new  plan  of  inviting 
the  members  to  tea.  This  has  helped  to  unite  us.  I 
hare  raised  by  personal  application  every  farthing  for 
Bluevale  Church,  now  £2,100,  and  it  will  soon  be  the 
£2,500.  I  profoundly  feel  that  this,  hke  all  done  by 
me,  is  God's  domg,  certainly  not  mine.  Our  organ  has 
been  given  by  kind,  good  James  Baird,  and  a  memorial 
window  by  Mrs.  George  Grant.  I  am  deeply  thankful  that 
the  number  of  my  communicants  has  been  greater  than 

usual,  new  ones  eighteen,  and  among  them  my  dear . 

Oh!  what  a  joy  it  is  to  see  my  beloved  children,  one  after 
the  other,  thus  in  simpHcity  of  faith  publicly  accepting  of 
the  Saviour.  God's  Spirit  has  surely  been  with  them  since 
birth.  I  don't  think  they  have  been  converted  by  any 
sudden  change.  They  seem  to  me  as  growing  up  in  the  fiiith, 
being  educated  gradually  by  the  Spirit.  They  are  full  of 
life,  energy,  and  happiness,  and  will  probably  have  to  pass 
through  trials  in  which  their  true  life  will  be  deepened. 
They  little  know  how  happy  they  are,  and  in  what  domestic 
sunshine  they  have  Hved.  God  bless  them,  darlings,  in 
the  bonds  of  Christ. 

"  I  have  published  in  Good  Words  my  War  sermon  and 
my  Temptation  sermons.  The  Peace  Society  seem  to  dis- 
like me.  We  don't  comprehend  each  other.  They  think 
me  blind,  and  I  think  them  silly. 

"I  have  been  reading  Button's  'Essays'  with  great 
delight.  His  great  defect  is  ignoring  the  Holy  Spirit,  or 
not  connecting  Him,  as  he  does  the  Eternal  Son,  with  one 
eternal  abiding  reality. 

"  I  have  been  much  distressed  about  our  Indian  Mis- 
sion. Within  a  few  weeks  we  have  had  many  losses  ;  but 
God  will  certainly  provide.  We  are  deep  in  debt.  We  want 
men  and  money  ;  from  whom  but  One  can  we  get  both  ? 


1871—72-  347 

"  The  war!  tbe  Reds  and  Assembly  now  fighting.  Of 
course  the  Commune  must  go  down,  or  France  as  a  nation 
must.  What  next?  Monarchy  before  long.  But  the  character 
of  the  people  has  been  ruined  and  requires  a  national 
restoration  of  princij)le,  of  patriotism,  of  unselfishness  ;  the 
destruction  of  a  sensual,  vain,  irreverent,  and  cruel  spirit. 
The  French  need  to  be  Puritanised,  if  that  is  possible,  or 
even  Teutonised.  It  will  take  two  generations  of  peace, 
education,  and  a  firm,  wise,  truthful,  and  powerful  govern- 
ment to  do  this.  Where  are  the  governors  ?  Where  are 
those  who  will  be  governed  ?  Unless  a  nation  is  religiously 
educated,  it  is  gone.  I  fear  our  own  may  sufier  from 
secularists  and  Comtists," 

The  following  letter  was  written  in  reply  to  some 
inquiries  which  were  made  regarding  a  young  clergy- 
man who  was  a  candidate  for  a  parish.  Among  other 
questions  Dr.  Macleod  was  asked  whether  he  had  any 
faults. 

" .  .   .   .   Mr.  ,  when  with  me,  was  very  earnest 

in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  remarkably  successful  in 
impressing  the  working  classes,  and  in  bringing  very  many 
not  only  to  the  church,  but  I  believe  to  God.  ...  I  do 
not  say  but  that  he  may  have  defects  which  some  nice 
critics  might  possibl}^  detect,  although  they  are  so  small 
as  not  to  be  worth  mentioning ;  but  if  he  were  perfect,  he 
would  be  more  fit  for  heaven  than  the  parish  of " 

To  Mr.  Simpson,  at  Messrs.  Blackwood  and  Sons : — 

May  8,  1871. 

"  I  have  the  pleasure  of  sending  you  my  first  por- 
tion of  MS.  of  the  Indian  Mission  Report.  A  single 
glance  will  convince  you  of  one  fact,  and  to  be  assured  of 
the  truth  of  even  one  fact  is  in  my  opinion  a  great  gain 
in  these  days,  when  a  man  is  thought  a  conservative  bigot 
who  believes  beyond  doubt  that  2  +  2=4.  The  fact 
I  allude  to  is,  that  my  hand  has  not  improved  with  age 


348 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


and  experience.  As  Falstaft'  says,  'thou  knowest  thine 
old  ward,'  that  is,  my  old  hand,  and  it  will  be  some 
advantage  to  the  mission  if  any  of  your  devils  share  your 
knowledge. 

"  I  know  a  man  who  was  so  disgusted  with  some  '  proofs ' 
which  he  had  received,  that  he  coumienced  a  course  of 
study  on  printing  by  ordering  '  MacEwan  on  the  Types.' 
I  never  heard  what  effect  it  had  on  him. 

"  I  shall  send  you  more  as  soon  as  possible — I  mean 
MS.  which  might  be  interpreted,  '  more  scribbling.'  " 


To  his  Mother  :— 

Ems,  May  7,  1871. 

"  What  misery  you  must  be  enduring,  and  no  wonder  ! 

Here  am  I,  gone  off  for  the  first  time  in  my  life — poor 

little  boy  !  and  across  the  wild  ocean,  and 

to  !-avage   people,   not   to  return   for  ten 

long,  long  years  !      Oh  it's  sad  !  sad  ! 

"  A  sky  of  perfect  blue,  warm  sunshine, 
but  a  chill  in  the  shade,  an  east-wind  feel, 
telling  that  summer   is  not  yet   begun.      But  the  woods 

are  green,  the  birds  sing- 
ing, and  the  cuckoo  toll- 
ing through  the  glens. 

"  I  don't  feel  better, 
for  to  tell  the  truth  I 
did  not  feel  ill  imme- 
diately before  leaving. 
But  I  feel  well,  peaceful, 
happy,  and  I  believe 
after  a  month  will  re- 
turn Avith  good  spirit  for 
fair  honest  work,  not 
extra. 

"  I  have  finished  '  Lo- 
thair,'  which  I  have  read 
for  the  first  time.     It  is 
nothing  as  a  story,  or  rather  it  is  miserably  ill   put  toge- 
ther, but  it  contains  a  series  of  most  interesting  pictures 


iSyi — 72.  349 

of  life.  I  have  no  interest  in  the  hero,  he  is  a  mere  bit  of 
fine  red  wax,  impressed  by  every  new  seal.  The  best  thing 
in  the  book  is  the  exposure  of  the  tricky  and  clever  way 
of  Rome  in  making  converts. 

"  Now  my  dear,  are  you  amazed  we  had  no  hurricane  ? 
No  accidents  ?  No  sore  backs  or  broken  heads  ;  but  that 
we  eat,  sleep,  and  thoroughly  enjoy  ourselves,  and  have 
now  but  one  wish,  to  be  back  soon  among  you  all." 

To  his  Mother  :— 

Ems,  May  17,  1871. 

"  It  is  interesting  to  see  the  wounded  soldiers  walking 
about  here  with  their  iron  crosses.  The  leader  of  the 
band  has  one.  He  led  the  band  of  t^^-^  Guards  as  they 
marched  into  battle  at  Gravelotte.  A  hue  old  fellow  was 
drinking  at  the  spring  yesterday.  A  ball  had  passed 
into  his  breast  and  out  at  his  back  at  Spicheren. 

"  A  very  nice  fellow  was  dressed  in  faded  uniform, 
sitting  behind  his  counter,  with  such  a  blithe  face.  He 
had  come  back  the  day  before  to  wife  and  children.  His 
next  neighbour,  landlord  of  the  Golden  Vine,  who  was 
engaged  to  our  landlady's  daughter,  lies  buried  where 
he  feU. 

"  A  noble-looking  Uhlan  officer  who  walks  about,  was 
surrounded  with  his  troop.  The  French  officer  ran  a 
lance  through  his  coat  only.  The  lance  broke,  and  he 
shot  the  ofhcer,  and  returned  with  the  lance  hanging  in 
his  clothes. 

"  I  never  saw  more  modest,  unassuming  men." 


To  Dr.  Watson  : — 

Ems,  May,  1871. 

"  I  have  been  fairly  settled  here  for  two  days  only,  living 
in  lodgings,  rising  at  6.30,  drinking,  morning  and  evening, 
half-boiled  soda  water  from  a  Brunnen ;  taking  baths 
every  second  day,  walking  two  hours,  watching  roulette, 
and  rejoicing  in  the  losses  of  the  fools  who  stake  their 
money  ;  reading  novels  (Lothair  for  the  first  time),  and 
all  with  balmy  air  and  a  quiet  conscience.     I  am  as  yet 


350  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

mucli  as  I  was  when  I  left  home,  well,  but  heavy  in  the 
legs,  and  gouty.  But  I  have  no  doubt  I  shall  be  all  right 
and  cheery  yet. 

"  My  great  anxiety  is  our  Mission. 

"  Holland  is  in  a  horrid  state,  a  hundred  and  sixty-five 
parishes  vacant,  no  clergy  to  fill  thera.  Rationalism  reigns. 
The  national  system  of  education  is  rearing  a  godless  people. 
The  teaching  of  national  history  even  is  forbid,  as  the  history 
of  the  national  struggles  against  Rome  would  oifend  the 
Papists.     May  heaven  confound  their  politics  !  " 


To  the  Same  : — 

"Your  letter  did  me  more  good  than  a  hogshead  of 
M's  or  N's  water.  A  thousand  thanks  for  it.  Of  course 
I  am  anxious  about  the  India  Mission  Report.  I  may 
have  to  resign  the  Convenership.  But  I  leave  my  honour 
in  your  hands,  and  give  you  full  authority  to  give  in  my 
resignation  when  j^ou  give  in  your  own.  I  will  not  carry 
out  a  different  policy  from  the  present.  I  could  not. 
My  judgment  would  not  go  with  it.  So  fiir  from  losing 
heart,  one  result  of  restored  health,  should  God  grant  it, 
will,  I  firmly  and  gladly  hope,  be  to  let  me  loose  again  for 
a  season  through  the  chief  towns  in  Scotland,  and  to 
address  the  students,  on  behalf  of  the  Mission.  '  We 
believe,  and  therefore  speak.' 

"  I  deeply  feel  with  you  that  unless  we  get  such 
men  as  Jardine,  Wilson,  Grant,  it  will  be  vain  to  sow 
seeds  in  India  which  will  produce  the  Church  of  the 
future.  An  American  clergyman  told  me  yesterday  that 
Puritan  (once)  New  England  is  now  becoming  the  hot- 
bed for  atheism  and  Popery.  I  pray  God  we  may  be  able 
to  help  to  save  Scotland  from  a  similar  re-action,  which 
the  union  of  the  F.  and  U.  P.  Churches  would  develop 
more  rapidly.  I  don't  fear  disestablishment ;  but  so  long 
as  there  is  a  clerical  order  of  men,  who  may  beg,  but  are 
not  allowed  to  dig,  I  fear  an  uneducated  and  low-bred 
clergy." 


1871—72.  3SI 

To  his  Mother  : — 

Ems,  May  31,  1871. 

"  I  did  not  tell  you  I  had  crossed  to  London.  I 
heard,  en  route,  a  night  service  in  Cologne  Cathedral. 
There  were  2,000  people  present,  a  mere  handful  in  that 
huge  pile.  The  sermon  was  quite  like  a  Gaelic  one, 
preached  by  a  hot  old  Ross-shire  minister,  in  Avhich  tlie 
glories  of  Rome  took  the  place  of  the  glories  of  the 
Kirk  and  its  principles.  All  other  parties  were  of  course 
anathematised.  The  people  were  deeply  earnest.  After 
the  sermon,  a  glorious  simple  hymn  was  sung,  led  by  the 
organ,  and  by  female  or  boys'  voices  only.  The  last  rays 
of  evening  were  lighting  up  the  exquisite  old  windows 
high  up  in  the  nave,  and  casting  on  the  pillars,  Avhose  tops 
were  lost  in  darkness,  marvellous  colours  of  every  hue  ; 
below  Avas  the  dark  silent  mass  of  worshij)pers.  Lights 
were  on  the  altar,  above  which  was  the  tawdry  image 
— so  like  Lidia  ! — of  Virgin  and  Child.  Under  the  altar 
were  the  famous  '  Kings  of  Cologne,'  who  had  paid  homage 
to  Christ,  the  '  Magi,'  all  telling  of  mediaeval  stories, 
belonging  to  a  world  jjassing  away  ;  but  all  was  lost  to 
me  in  those  angelic  strains  that  warbled  here  and  there  as 
they  seemed  to  wander  along  the  fretted  roof,  coming 
you  knew  not  from  whence.  An  old  priest  before  the 
altar  then  repeated  various  prayers,  the  commandments, 
&c.,  to  which  Amens  were  given,  that  were  repeated  like 
the  murmurs  of  the  sea,  from  the  large  conofreo-ation. 
The  holy  sacrament  was  exhibited,  and  all  knelt  in  silent 
devotion,  and  then  departed.      What  a   strange   world  is 

this  J     Not  one  there  ever  heard  of  G or  B ! 

and  yet  Scotland,  if  true  to  God,  and  not  to  its  Church 
only,  will  help  to  blow  up  Rome,  otherwise  Rome  will 
blow  it  up." 

"  I  am  not  so  very  sad  now.  My  spirits  rise  sometimes 
in  proportion  to  real  difficulties,  and  I  feel  anxious  to 
enter  on  India  Mission  work  with  renewed  vigour." 


352  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

To  Dr.  "Watson  : — 

Ems,  June  5,  1S71. 

"  I  liave  been  greatly  worried  day  and  night  Avith  the 
India  Mission.  What  speeches  have  I  made  about  it ! 
And  so  it  is  that  I  have  got  the  old  gout  back,  and  can 
hardly  crawl.  Why  do  I  bother  myself?  Why  do  I 
think  ?  It  is  in  my  blood — bone  of  my  bone  ;  it  came 
with  my  father  and  mother  and  all  my  forbears,  and  must 
die  with  me  ;  but  it  is  not  to  every  one  I  can  lay  bare 
my  feelings.  On  thy  calm  devoted  head  I  can  discharge 
my  lightning,  and  roar  like  thunder,  or  bray  like  an  ass. 
So  I  am  thankful  I  was  not  in  the  Assembly.  I  would 
have  gone  wild,  and  been  sorry  for  it  next  morning. 
The  cause  was  in  better  and  wiser  hands  when  in  thine." 

From  his  Jouenal  : — 

Geddes,  Septemler  14,  1S71. 
"  Early  in  May  we  went  to  Ems  by  the  advice  of  Sir 
William  Jenner.  The  back-bone  of  that  journey  is 
recorded  in  Good  Words.  We  were  very  happy.  Dear 
Nommey  went  with  us.  The  Van  Loons  were  very 
kind  to  us.  The  General  Assembly,  and  its  ignorant  treat- 
ment of  the  Indian  Mission,  has  given  me  some  trouble, 
and  if  God  spares  me,  I  shall  in  a  long  and  possibly  final 
speech  in  the  next  General  Assembly,  defend  it  with  all  my 
might  from  these  attacks." 

One  of  the  few  public  meetings  which  he  attended 
this  year  was  the  Scott  Centenary,  held  in  Glasgow  in 
August.  The  address  recently  given  to  the  British 
Association  by  its  distinguished  president  —  his 
esteemed  friend  Sir  William  Thomson — respecting 
the  meteoric  origin  of  the  germs  from  which  vegetable 
and  animal  life  have  been  evolved,  was  then  exciting 
considerable  comment,  and  it  provoked  him  to  indulge 
on  this  occasion  in  some  quiet  banter,  which  no  one 
of  the  audience  enjoyed  more  than  Sir  W^illiam. 


1871—72.  353 

"  It  is  not  for  me,"  he  saiJ,  "  to  account  for  the  genesis 
of  that  marvellous  literature,  so  prolific  as  to  have  multi- 
plied and  replenished  the  earth.  Instructed  by  science,  I 
dare  not  seek  its  origin  in  the  creative  mind  of  Scott  ; 
yet,  as  it  is  a  literature  so  full  of  life,  it  must,  I  suppose, 
have  come  from  life  somewhere.  Will  my  illustrious 
friend,  the  President  of  the  British  Association — for 
whom  my  highest  admiration  and  deepest  affection  are 
divided — pardon  an  ignoramus  like  me,  if  I  start  an 
hypothesis  to  account  for  those  extraordinary  phenomena  ? 
Is  it  not  possible,  I  timidly  ask,  that  some  circulating 
library,  or,  more  correctly  speaking,  some  library  circu- 
lating through  endless  space — some  Kterary  meteoric 
group  of  '  Mudies  '  and  '  Maclehoses  '  was  broken  up — and 
that  the  shreds  of  tlie  exploded  leaves  fell  on  Ben  Nevis 
or  the  Braes  of  Lochaber,  accompanied,  perhaps,  by  the 
shivered  fragments,  from  a  distant  Highland  world,  of  bag- 
pipes and  claymores  and  '  spleuchans  '  and  kilts,  and  that 
out  of  them  sprang  '  Waverley,'  and  that  this  product 
'  \yaverley  '  selected,  very  naturally,  the  Avest  of  Scotland 
in  which  to  evolve  sundry  other  novels  of  that  ilk?  "* 

*  A  friend  who  was  an  hah  if  ue  of  the  'back  study'  relates,  that 
shortly  before  the  speech  was  delivered,  the  «  meteoric  theory '  was 
there  discussed,  especially  with  reference  to  the  reception  it  had  met 
with  from  newspaper  critics,  who  seemed  to  be  unanimous  in  holding 
that  it  only  removed  the  difficulty  as  to  the  orio;in  of  life  a  stage  back. 
Norman's  friend,  in  a  note  which  he  sent  to  a  local  journal  and  which 
was  read  in  the  '  back  study,'  contended  that  this  ciiticism  was  unfair, 
inasmuch  as  the  difficulty  was  not  only  removed  farther  back,  but 
removed  out  of  this  world  altogether,  and  after  having  bothered  our 
savants  for  ages,  would  now  have  to  be  taken  up  by  thu  Association 
for  the  Promotion  of  Science  in  one  of  the  other  planets.  Tickled  by 
this  suggestion,  and  marching  up  and  down  the  room,  Norman 
dictated  a  P.S.  to  be  appended  to  the  nnte. 

"  Perhaps  the  men  of  science  would  do  well,  in  accordance  wth 
these  latest  results,  to  rewrite  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis  m  this 
way  :— 

1.  The  earth  was  without  form  and  void. 

2.  A  meteor  fell  upon  the  earth. 

3.  The  result  was  fish,  flesh,  and  fowl. 

4.  From  these  proceeded  the  British  Association. 

o.  And  the  British  Association  pronounced  it  all  tolerably  good  !" 

VOL.    11.  A  A     . 


354  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

From  his  JOURNAL : — 

Geddes,  September  14,  1871. 

"  Thank  God  for  this  peace !  I  have  had  a  most 
blessed  time  here — the  more  blessed  because,  as  I 
had  anticipated,  it  made  my  own  dear  one  so  happy. 
No  Avonder  !  It  has  been  like  a  resurrection  of  old 
friends  of  the  family,  rich  and  jioor.  The  kindness 
from  all  has  been  quite  overpowering.  I  tliank  God 
that  my  children,  who  have  been  all  I  could  wish — have 
had  proof  of  the  deep  affection  and  respect  in  which 
their  grandfather  and  grandmother  have  been  held.  It 
is  most  touching,  and  immensely  gratifying — a  great 
reward  for  their  goodness — to  hear  their  jiraises  spoken  of 
by  every  one  with  a  pathos  and  touching  heartiness  wliich 
is  most  pleasing.  I  cannot  tell  what  a  marvellous  gift 
Geddes  has  been  to  me.  It  has  made  our  own  John 
literally  alive  again.  I  have  preached  twice  here,  and 
given  an  Indian  address,  and  raised  £40.  I  have 
preached  with  great  delight  twice  in  the  School  House. 
I  wish  daily  to  reveal  the  Father  to  His  children.  It  is 
such  light,  such  freedom,  such  a  binding  power  ! 

"  We  have  sung,  danced,  and  played  croquet.  I  have 
written  '  Major  Fraser.' 

"  God  reconciles  all  in  Himself. 

"  Oh,  my  Father,  thanks — thanlvS  be  to  Thee  ! 

"  We  leave  to-morrow.  I  lament  nothing.  I  thank 
God  for  everything.  His  goodness  is  overpowering.  I 
do  know  how  good  He  is  !  " 

"WHiile  at  Gcddos  the  memory  of  John  Mackintosh 
seemed  continually  with  him  as  a  sweet  and  refresh- 
ing presence.  One  of  his  first  walks  was  to  a  spot 
closely  associated  with  him,  and  he  used  to  tell  the 
overpowering  effect  it  had,  when,  as  he  was  sitting 
there  wi'apt  in  quiet  thought,  he  heard  the  wild  sad 
notes  of  the  bag-pipe  playing  '  Mackintosh's  Lament ' 
— one  of  the  most  beautiful,  as  it  was  now  the  most 
appropriate   of  pibrochs.     The  family  usually  spent 


1871 — 72-  355 

the  evening  in  the  hall,  off  which  opened  the  door 
of  what  had  been  John  Mackintosh's  room;  and 
when  his  children  were  dancing  reels,  he  would  often 
sit  watching  them,  lost  in  quiet  thought,  the  past  and 
present  mingling  without  discord,  and  feeling  how 
'  God  reconciled  all  things  in  Himself.'  The  follow- 
ing impromptu  lines  express  the  character  of  these 
musings : — 

IN  MEMOEIAM  OF   "THE  EAENEST  STUDENT." 

(iMPEOMPTtr.) 

In  the  hall  was  dancing  and  singing, 
My  children  were  brimful  of  joy. 
I  sat  there  alone,  and  in  shadow, 
Near  his  room  dreaming  about  him 
Who  there  long  had  laboured  and  prayed, 
Where  angels  saw  heaven  and  earth  meeting 
In  the  heart  of  that  true  child  of  God, — 
The  bright,  the  unselfi.'li,  and  joj'ous! 
And  the  chill  winds  of  .aitumn  were  moaning 
Through  the  pines,  down  his  favourite  walks ; 
But  the  stars  were  out  brightly  shining, 
And  one  brighter  than  all  was  above. 
I  dreamt  of  those  last  days  of  sickness. 
Of  his  patience,  his  meekness,  and  love, 
Of  the  calm  of  his  summer  twilight, 
Of  the  midnight  before  the  bright  day. 
As  I  gazed  at  that  chamber  long  empty. 
In  this  home,  his  heaven  when  on  earth, 
It  was  strange,  it  was  terribly  awing, 
To  think  of  him  now  lying  dead  ! 
Dead  as  the  granite  that  heavily 
Covered  him  with  the  stones  and  clay  I 
That  heart  of  the  laughing  and  loving 
In  a  cold  leaden  coffin  lying  stOl ! 
That  heart  to  which  all  that  was  truest 
And  pure  was  a  well-spring  of  joy. 
Yonder  twenty  long  years  lying  buried. 
Yet  for  twenty  long  years  still  living 
Elsewhere  in  the  home  of  his  Father  ! 
Ah,  where  was  he  now,  in  what  mansion, 
In  what  star  of  the  infinite  sky  ? 
Whom  had  he  met  since  we  parted, 
Since  the  night  when  we  bade  him  farewell  ? 
What  since  had  he  seen,  was  he  seeing  ? 
A  A  2 


35^^  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

What  since  had  he  done,  was  he  doinc;  ? 

With  ■wliom  had  he  spoke,  was  he  spo^ikiii'j? 

Did  ho  tliink  of  ns  here,  and  remember 

Those  he  never  forgot  when  on  earth  ? 

Was  ho  here  with  the  mini.stering  angels 

In  the  hall  of  his  oarlj'  doad  lioine  !' 

Ah,  what  would  ho  think  of  our  evenings. 

Our  evenings  so  morrily  spout!"' 

Could  his  heart  now  feel  holy  sorrow. 

With  his  faith  and  love  perfect  in  God  ? 

Could  his  heavenly  sunshine  be  shadowed, 

Beholding  these  forms  of  earth's  gladness 

'Midst  the  sin  and  the  sufferings  of  life  ? 

Would  ho  wonder  that  we  could  be  happy. 

And  his  and  our  Saviour  still  waiting 

To  see  joy  from  his  anxious  soul-travail. 

And  the  true  life  of  God  in  the  world  P 

Ah  !  that  dear  one  would  bear  oui'  weakness. 

Our  sleep  'midst  the  glories  around, 

Our  blindness  to  all  he  rejoiced  in, 

Our  slowness  to  learn  from  our  Loi  d  ! 

As  I  gazed  at  his  room,  now  silent, 

The  sweet  life  he  then  lived  recalling, 

Him  laughing  and  playing  with  children 

Telling  tales  to  them,  singing  them  songs; 

His  true  soul  in  harmony  chiming 

With  all  the  arrangements  of  God  ; 

I  awoke  from  my  dream,  yet  saying, 

In  anguish,  "  My  lovo,  thou  art  dead  ! 

Thou  art  dead  to  us  twenty  long  yeai  si" 

Then  I  said,  "  No,  my  love  is  living  ; 

For  is  he  not  part  of  our  being. 

And  with  us  wherever  we  are  ; 

And  are  not  all  '  together  with  God  ' — 

With  Himself  the  life  of  the  living  I  " 

If  we  saw  thee  once  more  among  ns, 

We  would  fly  to  thine  arms  entwining. 

And  thy  smiles  as  of  old  would  web-oiuo. 

With  the  old  voice  of  love  only  sweeter. 

And  the  bright  eyes  of  love  only  bright'  r 

All  lovely  I  see  thee  among  us. 

And  hear  thy  loved  accents  again  ; 

In  my  calmed  heart  whisjici'ing  gently, 

*'  These  joys  are  all  gifts  from  our  Fatlier, 

liut  our  Father  Himself  is  aU." 

Now  all  are  at  rest.     It  is  midnight — 
How  dead  is  the  hall  and  how  silent ! 
The  night  winds  still  sadly  are  moaning, 
But  the  stars  are  .still  brightly  shining. 
Still  o'er  all  is  the  bright  light  of  God  ! 


1871—72.  357 

To  Mrs.  MACLEOD : — 

BAIiMORAL,  Oct.,  1871. 

"  I  preaclied  extempore,  on  '  Our  Father  which  art 
in  Heaven,'  and  on  the  education  of  men  beyond  the 
grave.  I  fear  I  shocked  not  a  few — I  hope  I  did  so  for 
good. 

"  We  have  here  Helps  and  Mr.  Forster,  M.P.,  and  we 
have  had  tremendous  theological  talks  till  2  a.m.  I  keep 
my  own  not  amiss.  I  have  the  greatest  possible  respect 
for  Forster's  abilities  and  truthfulness.  Would  God  we 
could  lose  our  Calvinism,  and  put  all  the  teaching  of 
Christ  and  His  apostles  in  a  form  according  to  fact  and  not 
theory.  '  Our  Father '  is  the  root  of  all  religion  and 
morality,  and  can  be  seen  with  the  spirit,  rather  than  the 
mere  intellect. 

"  The  Queen  has  asked  me  to  remain  till  to-morrow. 
I  hope  to  have  another  set-to  with  the  M.P.  He  seems 
to  expect  the  same,  as  he  said  '  Hurrah  ! '  when  I  told 
him  I  was  to  remain." 

From  his  JotjrnaI;  : — 

"  January. — I  have  lost  much  to  my  memory,  already 
failing  from  a  multiplicity  of  objects,  in  having  recorded 
so  little  about  '71. 

"  I  have  been  very  steadily  at  home  since  September, 
and  my  every  day  occupied  with  those  details  of  public 
and  private  life  which,  although  important  at  the  time  and 
demanding  patience  and  forethought,  and  bringing  usual 
cares  and  worries,  soon  pass,  like  the  seas  which  a  vessel 
meets  every  ten  minutes,  that  hit  her,  splash  over  her, 
make  her  shiver,  and  are  forgotten.  My  life  is  strangely 
broken  into  small  parts,  and  as  this  is  God's  will,  I  must 
submit,  and  make  the  best  of  it. 

"  Events  !  what  are  they  ?  None  !  Addressing  meet- 
ings and  soirees  in  my  own  parish,  preaching,  finishing 
Bluevale  Church,  directing  India  Mission,  writing  letters 
innumerable,  visiting  sick,  writing  nonsense  for  Good  Words 
for  the  Young  —  doing  everything  and  doing  nothing. 
Stanley  has  been  with  me." 


358  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

The  hymn  '  Trust  in  God  and  do  the  Eight,' 
which  had  been  written  in  1858,  was  not  published 
in  Good  Words  until  January,  1872.  On  its  appear- 
ance there  a  writer  in  a  local  paper  charged  Dr. 
Macleod  with  plagiarism  from  an  American  hymn- 
writer,  stating  that  he  had  in  his  possession  a  volume, 
compiled  by  Philip  Philips,  of  Hymns  by  American 
Authors,  in  which  these  words  occurred;  that  this 
volume  was  in  cii'culation  a  considerable  time  before 
this  number  of  Good  Words  appeared.  A  friend  hav- 
ing sent  this  criticism  to  Dr.  Macleod,  the  following 
letter  was  sent  in  reply  : — 

Friday. 

"  I  received  your  note  with  extract  from  a  Paisley 
newspaper  last  night  on  my  return  from  Liverpool.  I 
think  the  critic  might  have  done  me  the  justice  of  send- 
ing me  a  copy  of  his  remarks.  But  this  has  too  often 
been  my  experience  of  writers  in  newspaj^ers.  They 
seldom  take  the  trouble  to  let  you  know  what  they  have 
been  publishing  against  you  ;  I  have  seen  letters  and 
criticisms  founded  upon  the  most  absurd  assumptions  weeks 
after  they  were  published,  and,  of  course,  never  contradicted. 
In  regard  to  the  verses  in  question  it  is  quite  clear  that 
some  Yankee  in  his  zeal  for  hymnology  has  neither  trusted 
God  nor  done  the  right,  but  trusted  to  a  lie  and  done  the 
wrong.  These  verses  of  mine  were  first  published  at  the 
end  of  a  lecture  given  to  the  young  men  at  Exeter  Hall  in 
1858.  The  music  was  composed  by  Sullivan  expressly  for 
the  words.  But  it  is  perfectly  possible  that  some  spiri- 
tualist hymn-writer  in  America  may  have  written  the  same 
words,  composing  the  same  music,  using  Mr.  Philip  Philips 
as  his  medium.  After  all,  such  barefaced  stealing  is  too 
bad. 

"  Make  any  use  of  this  you  please." 

As  he  had  always  practised  strict  reticence  regard- 


1871—72.  35Q 

ing  all  matters  connected  with  tlie  Court,  and  heartily 
hated  that  gossip  which  the  public  craves  for  only  too 
greedily,  he  was  not  a  little  surprised  and  annoyed  to 
find  a  few  kindly  words  he  had  spoken  off-hand  at  the 
laying  of  a  foundation-stone  at  Lenzie,  near  Glasgow, 
made  the  occasion  for  a  grossly  personal  attack  on  the 
part  of  some  of  the  English  newspapers.  The  insinua- 
tion as  to  his  using  flattery  for  selfish  objects  was  too 
offensive  to  be  publicly  noticed  by  him,  but  he  was 
none  the  less  gratified  by  the  manner  in  which  he 
was  vindicated  by  other  representatives  of  the  press. 

To  Mr.  Hedderwick,  Editor  of  the  Olasgoio  Citizen  : — 

Januanj,  1872. 

"  I  have  just  read  your  generous  defence  of  me  against 
the  most  untrue  and  malicious  attacks  of  the  newspapers. 
The  fact  is  that  during  the  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  in 
which  I  have  been  in  close  contact  with  the  Royal  Family, 
I  have  carefully  avoided  ever  speaking  about  them  in 
public,  and  in  private  only  to  intimate  friends.  Yet  I 
have  often  felt  my  heart  burning  in  listening  to  all 
the  wild  lies  told  about  them.  These,  my  only  two 
speeches,  were  purely  accidental,  and  almost  forced  upon 
me. 

"  At  Lenzie  I  forgot  there  were  reporters  in  the  room, 
and  was  suddenly  called  upon  by  the  chairman  to  confirm 
the  account  he  gave  of  the  Queen's  health  ;  and  a  minute 
before  I  spoke  I  had  as  much  intention  of  doing  so  as  of 
seeking  to  be  knighted.  So  it  was  in  the  Presbytery — I 
was  not  aware  the  topic  was  to  be  introduced.  Dr.  M. 
was  speaking  about  it  as  I  entered.  He  stopped,  and 
called  on  me  to  propose  it,  and  I  did  so  without  one 
minute's  preparation.  To  flatter  majesty  is  gross  im- 
pertinence. As  to  being  knighted,  thank  God  the 
Queen  herself  cannot  bestow  any  honour  of  the  kind  on  a 
Scotch  clergyman.      No  possible  favour  can  she  grant  me, 


360  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

or  houoiir  bestow,  beyond  wliut  the  poor  can  give  the  pooi 
— her  friendship. 

"  Yours  gratefully, 

"  N.   Macleod. 
"  I  never  asked  a  favour  from  the  Queen  or  Government 
since  I  was  born." 

The  improvement  which  his  sojourn  at  Ems  and  the 
summer's  rest  at  Geddes  had  wrought  on  his  health 
was  unfortunately  of  short  duration.  Before  mid- 
winter was  reached,  and  in  spite  of  his  taking  the  utmost 
care  in  avoiding  unnecessary  engagements,  his  work 
began  to  tell  heavily  upon  him,  and  he  assumed  a 
wearied  and  broken-down  aspect.  Labour  which 
before  sat  lightly  on  him,  was  now  exhausting  toil, 
and  an  increasing  sense  of  depression  weighed  on  his 
spirits.  The  most  ominous  and  distressing  symptom 
was  the  restlessness  which  he  experienced  whenever 
he  retii'ed  for  the  night,  and  which  prevented  him 
enjoying  sleep  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
at  a  time.  Though  happily  unaccompanied  by  pain, 
this  usually  lasted  till  morning,  and  became  so  trying, 
that  in  order  to  humour  it  he  generally  passed  the 
night  on  the  sofa  in  his  dressing-room.  A  volume 
of  Alison's  '  History  of  Europe '  and  Gurwood's 
'  Sketches '  lay  on  the  mantel-piece,  and  the  long 
hours,  broken  by  brief  snatches  of  sleep,  were  spent 
in  reading  the  accounts  of  campaigns  and  battles.* 
About  seven  in  the  morning  he  would  retui-n  to  his 

*  This  kind  of  reading  had  always  a  peculiar  charm  for  him,  so  that 
not  unfrequeutly  after  a  day  of  unusually  hard  mental  work,  preach- 
ing or  otherwise,  ho  would  hava  recourse  to  Alison's  '  Ilislorj-,'  or 
'  Wellington's  Dispatches,'  and  find  refreshment  in  giving  entire 
change  of  thought. 


1871 — 72-  301 

room,  and  after  an  hour  or  two  of  refreshing  slumber 
enter  on  the  hard  toil  of  the  day. 

He  devoted  much  time  during  this  winter  to  his 
pulpit,  writing  all  his  sermons  fully  out,  and  preach- 
ing not  only  with  great  delight  to  himself,  but  in  a 
manner  so  instructive  to  his  people  that  they  look  back 
to  the  teaching  of  these  later  months  as  more  precious 
than  any  they  ever  received  from  him. 

He  went  to  London  in  February,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  public  thanksgiving  in  St.  Paul's,  for  the 
recovery  of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  The  gathering  of 
the  representatives  of  the  British  empire  for  such  a 
purpose,  the  imposing  ceremony,  the  spectacle  of  the 
vast  cathedral  filled  with  its  ten  thousand  worshippers, 
the  music,  the  dignified  service,  all  combined  to  im- 
press him  deeply.  'I  thank  God,'  he  said  to  his 
brother  who  sat  beside  him,  '  for  a  I^ational  Church, 
without  which  we  could  not  have  such  an  expression 
of  the  national  religion.  It  is  all  worthy  and  right. 
"We  could  not  do  this  in  Scotland.  Our  Presby- 
terianism  is  too  individual  in  its  methods, — healthy 
enough  as  bringing  the  soul  to  deal  with  the  personal 
God,  but  there  should  be  room  in  a  Church,  which 
professes  to  be  national  and  historic,  for  such  a  service 
as  this.'  One  feature  in  the  assembly  deeply  affected 
him.  There  were  near  him  a  number  of  Orientals, 
Parsees,  Hindoos,  and  Mahommedans,  whose  pre- 
sence touched  a  sympathetic  chord  in  his  heart. 
In  his  speech  to  the  General  Assembly  three 
months  afterwards,  he  alluded  to  the  impression  that 
scene  had  made  on  him.  '  When  these  men,'  he 
said,   '  some   of  them   representatives    of    sovereigns 


362  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

who  once  occupied  the  thrones  of  India,  beheld  tlie 
assembly,  which,  take  it  all  in  all,  was  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  ever  gathered, — when  they  beheld 
the  Queen  who  now  ruled  over  them,  the  legislature 
of  Britain,  old  warriors  covered  with  medals  won  in 
many  a  hard-fought  battle  in  their  owti  India,  men  of 
philosophy  and  science,  men  who  had  governed  pro- 
vinces far  greater  than  England, — all  bowing  down 
in  Avorship,  and  when  they  heard  like  a  mighty  breeze 
the  prayer  whispered  fi'om  these  ten  thousand  lips, 
'  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven ; '  what  if  one 
of  these  Easterns  had  risen  and  said,  'You  have 
sent  us  laws,  men  of  science,  and  warriors,  but  have 
never  told  us  of  that  Father  to  whom  you  pray  ! ' 
Could  that  be  said  in  truth,  then  might  a  greater 
assembly  still  be  summoned  to  ask  God's  mercy  on  a 
nation  that  had  been  so  unfaithful.' 

The  Scotchmen  settled  in  Liverpool  had  always 
shown  him  afiection,  which  was  quite  recij^rocated 
by  him,  and  as  his  eldest  son  was  now  there 
learning  business,  he  determined  on  his  way  home  from 
London  to  visit  him,  and  beg  for  funds  for  his  beloved 
India  Mission.  His  method  of  approaching  some  of 
the  merchants  of  the  town  greatly  amused  them.  '  If 
you  treat  me  in  Liverpool  as  well  as  I  see  you  treat 
dogs  I  will  be  content,'  he  said  to  one  of  them  ;  and 
in  answer  to  the  puzzled  look  of  inquiiy,  he  added, 
'Merely  that  I  noticed  how  a  dog  had  carried  off 
huncbeds  of  pounds  at  a  coursing  match,  and  I 
think  I  am  as  good  as  a  dog  any  day.' 


1871 — 72-  3^3 

To  George  Campbell,  Esq. : — 

Beoadgreen,  Liverpool,  February,  1872. 

"  Thanks  for  your  £50.  I  will  tell  you  a  story — a  rare 
tiling  with  me.  The  beadle  and  gravedigger  of  Kilwin- 
ning parish,  Ayrshire,  was  dying.  One  day  his  minister 
found  him  very  sad,  and  on  questioning  him  as  to  the  cause 
of  this  unusual  depression,  he  said,  '  I  was  just  countin 
that  since  the  new  year  I  had  buried  fifty  folk,  includin' 
bairns,  and  I  w^as  hopefu'  that  I  might  be  spared  to  mak' 
oot  the  hunner  (hundred)  afore  the  neist  new  year.' 

"  Do  you  see  ?  That  heart  of  yours  is,  I  guess,  even 
bigger  than  your  purse.      May  both  be  bigger,  if  possible  ! 

"  I  am  trembling  betwixt  hope  and  fear  for  my  Indian 
ark." 

On  his  way  to  Liverpool  he  received  the  tidings  of 
the  death  of  the  man  whom  of  all  others  he  reve- 
renced and  loved,  Dr.  John  Macleod  Camj)bell. 
During  the  few  previous  months  he  had  seen  one 
after  another  of  his  friends  pass  away.  Erskine  of 
Linlathen  and  Maurice  had  just  entered  into  their 
rest,  and  now  Campbell,  to  him  the  greatest  and  best 
of  all,  had  followed. 

During  the  same  month  he  visited  St.  Andrew's  for 
the  purpose  of  urging  the  claims  of  the  Mission,  and 
appealing  to  the  students  of  the  University  for  volun- 
teers to  go  to  India  as  missionaries.  '  We  were  all 
struck,'  Principal  Sliairp  writes,  '  by  his  worn  and 
flaccid  look;  he  seemed  so  oppressed  and  nervous 
when  he  was  going  to  address  only  a  few  hundred 
people  in  our  small  university  chapel;  and  I  well 
remember  the  close  of  that  address.  After  describing 
very  clearly  and  very  calmly  the  state  of  the  Mission 
and  its  weakness  for  want  of  both  fit  men  and  sufficient 


36+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

funds,  his  last  words  were,  '■  If  by  the  time  next 
General  Assembly  arrives  neither  of  those  are  forth- 
comiug,  there  is  one  who  wishes  he  may  find  a 
grave  I '  That  was  his  last  word,  and  it  fell  like  a 
knell  on  my  heart  and  on  many  more.  So  infirm 
was  he  that  day,  that  though  the  college  church  is 
scarcely  a  hundred  yards  from  ou.  house,  he  had  to  be 
di'iven  both  there  and  back  1 ' 


From  his  Journal  : — 

"  March  1. — What  events  of  importance  or  interest  to 
mj'Self  have  been  crowded  into  the  months  and  days  -which 
have  passed  since  these  last  words  have  been  written ! 
The  Thanksgiving  for  the  dear  Queen  and  Prince  this 
week  in  London — the  grandest  thing,  morally,  I  have  ever 
witnessed  or  can  witness ;  and  the  death  of  my  best  of 
friends,  and  of  the  best  man  I  have  ever  known  on  earth 
or  can  know — my  own  John  Campbell ! 

"  This  last  implies  worlds  to  me  as  affecting  my  inner 
life.  I  mi<?ht  have  added  to  it  the  crisis  of  the  Indian 
Mission  ;  yet  I  am  so  wearied  in  body  and  soul  this  night, 
that  I  cannot  write  about  them,  yet  cannot  be  silent, 
but  must  mark  this  point  and  transition  between  my  past 
and  future,  in  which  I  am  involved  as  a  minister,  a 
citizen,  and  a  friend.  Oh  my  dear,  dear  John  !  I  left 
thee  to-day  in  thy  grave,  and  the  world  can  never  more  be 
the  same  to  me.  Thy  light,  shining  through  an  earthly 
tabernacle,  is  gone  ;  my  statF  is  departed  ;  the  arm  on 
which  I  leant  is  in  the  grave  ;  and  my  best  and  truest 
of  friends  is  dead  !  Oh,  how  I  loved  him  and  adored  him 
on  this  side  of  idolatry  !  He  was  my  St.  Paul.  No  words 
of  mine  can  express  my  love  to  him.  I  took  part  with 
Story  in  the  service  ;  I  lowered  him  to  his  grave  ;  I 
cannot  preach  about  him  to-morrow  ;  I  hope  to  do  so  next 
Sunday.      Till  then,  all  things  else  depart." 


1871 — 12'  3^5 

To  Principal  Shaikp  : — 

Saturday,  March  16,  1872. 

"My  dearest  John, 

"  More  dear  than  ever,  as  friend  after  friend  de- 
parts, and  as  we  feel  ourselves  every  year  like  the  remains 
of  an  old  Guard,  whose  comrades  have  almost  all  left  us — 
all  who  could  speak,  not  of  the  old  wars,  but  of  the  old  times 
of  joy  and  hope,  of  struggle  and  of  victory.  The  reason, 
perhaps,  why  I  have  not  written  to  you,  or  indeed  to  ftny 
one  who  was  one  with  me  in  devoted  love  to  beloved  John 
Campbell,  was  that  I  kneAV  we  had  the  same  feeling,  the 
same  sense  of  loss,  the  same  joy  in  his  gain,  the  same 
everything  !  I  heard  of  it  in  England.  It  was  a  sudden 
and  terrible  blow.  As  we  praised  God  in  St.  Paul's,  he,  a 
king  and  priest,  had  entered  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord  ; 
and  oh,  John,  what  joy  !  You  said  truly  to  me  that  if 
there  be  a  God,  we  as  men  are  alienated  from  Him,  and 
need  reconciliation  ;  and  I  add,  if  there  be  a  God — shock- 
ing '  if'  even  to  speak  of — he  is  with  Him.  I  returned 
home  on  Friday,  and  was  in  time  for  his  funeral  on  Satur- 
day. I  took  part  in  the  services  along  with  Story,  and 
what  that  was  to  me  you  will  understand,  as  I  prayed  in 
the  church,  near  the  head  of  his  coffin.  It  was  a  wet  and 
cold  day,  but  there  was  a  large  attendance  of  ministers, 
and  of  men  and  women,  who  loved  him  as  few  were  loved. 
Tuesday  I  spent  with  his  wife  and  family,  and  heard  all. 
Five  days  before  his  death,  when  very  cheerie,  he  wrote 
his  last  and  a  most  beautiful  letter  to  comfort  orphans. 
But  he  spoke  not  much  of  religion  when  dying.  His  silent 
death  was  like  his  life,  an  '  Amen'  to  God's  will. 

"  I  preached  a  funeral  sermon  for  him,  which  I  will 
publish,  that  his  dear  Lord  may  be  glorified  in  him,  even 
through  unworthy  me.  He  has  left  a  large  collection  of 
letters  ;  many  written  to  his  father  on  the  Mondays,  giving 
an  account  of  his  teaching  on  the  previous  Sundays  at 
Row  ;  many  to  his  brother  and  sister,  both  worthy  of 
him  ;  a  series  over  ten  years,  to  his  son,  on  general  sub- 
jects of  Christian  interest ;  all  immensely  valuable.  Who 
will  edit  these  ?  I  know  not.  In  spite  of  my  dearest  wish, 
it  seems  impossible  that  a  man  so  poor  in  good  as  I  am 


366  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

should  be  called  upon  to  give  an  account  of  such  men  as 
our  two  beloved  Johns  !  But  the  treasure  is  often  com- 
mitted to  earthen  vessels,  that  the  poAver  might  be  seen  to 
be  of  God, 

"  My  heart,  dear,  is  very  sore.  The  world  and  life  look 
awfully  serious  to  me.  I  feel  as  if  the  Avinding-up  were 
coming  soon,  and  I  have  a  depressing  sense,  of  which  no 
one  but  God  can  judge,  of  a  miserably  improved  life.  But 
•'such  feelings  are  for  God,  more  than  for  man.  They  don't 
come  from  gout,  as  they,  are  of  late  my  habit  ;  yet  I  suffer 
still  from  the  enemy.  God  is  my  only  light,  and  I  seek  to 
cast  the  burden  of  my  soul,  my  life,  my  fears,  my  all  on 
Him  ;  and  yet  my  very  faith  is  so  weak." 

The  sermon  which  he  preached  on  Dr.  Campbell 
Tvas  afterwards  published  in  another  form  in  Good 
Words.  The  privilege  and  responsibility  of  speaking 
regarding  his  lamented  friend  were  so  keenly  realised 
by  him  that,  before  beginning,  he  wrote  on  the  fly-leaf 
of  his  manuscript  the  following  touching  prayer : — 

"  May  God  the  Father,  whose  glory  my  beloved  friend 
ever  sought,  teach  me,  a  miserable  sinner,  who  am  un- 
worthy to  speak  of  the  holy  ones  in  His  presence,  to  speak 
of  His  saint  in  glory  so  as  to  give  some  true  impression  of 
what  he  was  ;  that  Jesus,  who  was  and  is  his  *  all  in  all,' 
may  be  glorified  in  and  by  him  ;  and  that,  though  dead, 
he  may  speak  through  my  feeble  lips  !  I  begin  with  fear 
and  trembling  ;  yet,  if  I  am  every  Sunday  called  upon  to 
speak  of  Jesus,  why  should  I  fear  to  speak  of  one  of  his 
holy  apostles  ?     God  help  me  in  His  mercy  1" 

Saturday,  March  9,  1872. 

Similar  prayers  are  of  frequent  occurrence  on  the 
first  or  last  pages  of  his  sermons,  and  there  are 
sometimes  brief  notices  of  the  events  in  his  own  life 
which  suggested  certain  lines  of  thought. 


CHAPTEE  XXiy. 

HIS   DEATH. 

*  T  FEEL  as  if  the  windiug-up  were  coming  soon,' 
-L    lie  wi'ote  to  Principal  Sliairp,  with  little  anticipa- 
tion of  how  soon  his  words  were  to  be  realised. 

As  the  spring  wore  on,  the  sense  of  feebleness  and 
discomfort  continued  to  increase ;  but  his  family- 
physician.  Professor  Andrew  Buchanan,  after  careful 
examination,  discovered,  at  that  time,  nothing  orga- 
nically wrong  Avith  his  heart  ;  and  believing  that  com- 
plete rest  and  freedom  from  anxiety  would  suffice  to 
remove  his  ailments,  he  ordered  him  to  give  up  the 
India  Mission,  leave  his  town-house  and  reside  in  the 
country,  and,  in  short,  confine  his  duties  within  the 
narrowest  possible  circle.  Dr.  Macleod  at  once  acqui- 
esced in  these  arrangements,  and  for  a  time  found  some 
enjoyment  in  planning  a  cottage  which  he  thought  of 
building  on  the  slope  of  Campsie  Fell,  in  a  situation 
he  had  long  admired,  and  he  seemed  almost  happy  at 
the  prospect  of  renewing  his  early  love  of  country  life. 
The  other  direction  of  his  physician  made  a  greater 
demand  on  his  feelings.  He  did  not  hesitate  as  to 
relinquishing  the  India  Mission,  but  he  determined 
that  in  doing  so  he  would  express,  once  for  all,  the 


3r)8  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

conclusions  he  had  reached  regarding  the  manner  in 
which  Cliristian  work  in  India  ought  to  be  coudncted. 
For  weeks  he  revolved  the  subject  in  his  mind ;  for 
weeks  it  possessed  his  thoughts  night  and  day ;  and, 
whether  from  the  nature  of  the  views  he  felt  it  his 
duty  to  propound,  or  more  probably,  from  the  ex- 
aggerated colouring  which  weak  health  imparts  to 
coming  difficulties,  he  somehow  expected  that  his 
speech  was  to  provoke  a  violent  and  painful  discus- 
sion. These  anticipations,  natui^al  to  an  invalid, 
although  utterly  groundless,  had  the  effect  of  exciting 
his  shattered  nervous  system,  and  of  producing  an 
anxiety  and  agitation  which  told  with  fatal  effect 
upon  him. 

When  he  rose  in  the  Assembly  to  address  a  house 
crowded  to  suffocation,  his  rapid  breathing  revealed 
the  strain  he  was  labouring  under.  He  had  written 
nothing  beforehand  except  a  few  jottings  on  the  fly- 
leaf of  the  Mission  Eeport ;  and  such  was  the  impas- 
sioned and  rapid  manner  in  which,  under  the  pressure 
of  his  convictions,  he  grappled  with  the  points  he 
wished  most  to  impress,  that  the  reporters  were  unable 
to  take  down  even  the  meaning  of  a  great  part  of  the 
address  —  the  most  powerful  and  stirring  he  ever 
delivered.  The  speech  is  practically  lost.  Passages 
can  be  recalled ;  the  general  scope  can  be  sketched ; 
but  tliere  is  no  adequate  record  of  the  masterly 
handling  of  principles,  the  touches  of  kindly  humour, 
the  skill  with  which  he  conciliated  his  audience  while 
urging  views  calculated  to  otTcnd  the  prejudices  of 
many,  the  overpowering  earnestness  with  which  he 
defended  his  own  position  and  appealed  to  the  Church 


HIS  DEATH.  369 

for  a  generous  and  self- forgetful  policy  towards  India. 
Tliose  who  were  present  may  retain  an  impression  of 
its  power,  but  the  speech  itself  has  perished. 

He  had  been  labouring  for  years,  with  little  effect, 
to  induce  the  clergy  to  adopt  efficient  methods  of 
raising  funds,  and  had  discovered  how  difficult  it  is 
in  such  matters  to  combat  sloth,  prejudice,  power  of 
custom.  He  had  tried  also  to  make  the  Church 
realise  the  nature  and  difficulty  of  the  problems  with 
which  her  Mission  had  to  deal,  only  to  find,  how- 
ever, that  many  good  people  withheld  their  sym- 
pathy, eyed  with  suspicion  the  education  policy  which 
formed  an  essential  part  of  the  Mission  system,  and 
cared  little  for  any  results  except  such  as  took  the 
form  of  individual  conversion.     He  deeply  felt  that — 

"  There  was  a  sort  of  feeling  of  uneasiness  and  discon- 
tent throughout  the  Church  in  reference  to  his  conduct  of 
the  Mission,  as  if  they  said,  '  The  Mission  is  excellent ; 
God  bless  the  Mission ;  let  us  support  it  ;  but — '  and 
there  was  a  groan  or  a  sigh,  a  something  he  could  not  get 
at.  It  needed  no  power  but  that  of  thoughtlessness  to 
destroy,  but  they  must  remember  how  difficult  it  is  to 
restore.  Any  man  could  set  a  great  building  on  fire  ;  and  a 
single  word,  or  the  shake  of  the  head  of  a  man  in  authority, 
might  be  very  destructive  to  the  work  of  the  Committee. 
....  Did  they  realise,"  he  asked,  "  what  they  expected 
the  Hindoos  to  do,  what  they  blamed  them  for  not  doing, 
or  compared  these  expectations  with  what  they  were  doing 
themselves  at  home  ?  They  were  asking  Hindoos,  men  of 
flesh  and  blood  like  themselves,  and  far  more  sensitive 
than  Scotchmen,  of  great  intelligence  and  culture,  to  give 
up  hoary  traditions,  to  cut  down  the  tree  of  that  religion 
under  which  they  and  their  fathers  had  sat  for  teeming 
centuries,  and  to  accept  the  religion  of  a  peo[)le  whose  very 
touch  was   pollution !     They  were   asking   these   men  in 

VOL.   II.  B  B 


370  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

many  cases  to  give  up  father  and  mother,  and  brother  and 
sister,  and  Avere  much  astonished  they  did  not  make  the 
sacrifice !  But  suppose  the  Hindoos,  \\\\o  were  observing 
and  intelligcmt,  were  to  turn  on  themselves  and  say,  '  You 
are  sending  us  Christianity,  to  bchevo  wliich  imphes  enor- 
mous sacrifices  on  our  part,  but  what  are  your  own  clergy 
doing  ?  You  are  asking  us  to  sacrifice  all  our  traditions, 
but  you  w^on't  sacrifice  the  custom  in  your  parishes  that 
has  been  brought  in  by  your  vencral^lo  predecessors ! 
What  do  you  give  for  the  salvation  of  souls  ?  A  pound  or  a 
penny,  or,  as  is  the  case  in  one  hundred  and  seventy  of 
your  churches,  nothing  at  all  ?  You  call  us  deceivers  ; 
but  we  take  you  by  appearances,  and  ask  you  to  let  us  see 
what  Christianity  is  in  yourselves  before  you  couie  to  us.' 
....  He  had  yet  to  learn  that  it  was  the  work  of  the 
Foreign  Mission  to  make  converts.  He  had  always  under- 
stood that  the  conversion  of  souls  was  in  the  hand  of  God. 
He  was  not  speaking  lightly  of  conversion — far  from  it  ; 
but  their  responsibility  as  a  Church  was  to  use  the  best 
means  for  converting,  and  to  irnj)lore  God's  grace  on  the 
means.  But  he  would  ask  those  who  judge  the  Mission 
by  the  number  of  converts,  to  find  out  how  many  conver- 
sions had  taken  place  in  their  own  parishes  during  the 
same  time.  Let  them  go  down  to  the  village,  and  enter- 
ing a  house,  say  they  will  not  leave  it  till  tliey  bring  the 
men  and  women  to  Christ.  Let  them  go  to  the  man  of 
science,  who  had  mastered  many  of  the  questions  of  the 
day ;  let  them  not  call  him  proud,  or  sneer  at  him  as  a 
'  natural  man,'  for  he  may  be  most  earnest,  and  may  be 
sweating  a  more  bloody  sweat  in  seeking  to  come  to  the 
truth  than  they  had  done  ;  let  them  go  to  that  man  and 
satisfy  his  doubts,  meet  him  fairly  before  God,  and  when 
they  returned  from  such  a  visitation  as  that,  they  would 
have  more  sympathy  with  missionaries  dealing  with  edu- 
cated heathens." 

The  chief  purpose  of  his  speechj  however,  took 
wider  ground.  He  desired  all  Churches  to  consider 
whether  the  forms  in  which  they  were  presenting  truth, 


HIS  DEATH.  371 

and  the  ecclesiastical  differences  they  were  exporting 
to  India,  were  the  best  means  for  Christianizing  that 
country.  Was  it  right  that  the  divisions  which  sepa- 
rated Churches  in  this  country,  and  which  were  the 
growth  of  their  special  histories,  should  not  only  be 
continued,  but  be  made  as  great  matters  of  principle 
in  India  as  in  England  or  Scotland  ? 

"  When  these  Hindoos  heard  an  Anglican  bishop  declare 
that  he  did  not  recognise  as  belonging  to  Christ's  Church 
congregations  of  faithful  men  holding  a  pure  gospel  and 
observing  the  sacraments  of  the  Lord  ;  when  they  met 
others  who  said,  '  You  must  accept  all  these  Calvinistic 
doctrines  ;'  and  when  the  Wesleyans  came  next  and  said, 
'God  forbid!  don't  bring  these  things  in;'  and  the 
Baptist  came  with  his  idolatry  of  sacrament,  saying,  '  You 
must  be  a  Baptist,  you  must  be  dipped  again  ;'  and  when 
the  Roman  Catholic  came  and  saicl,  '  You  are  all  wrono- 
together;'  is  it  any  wonder  that  the  Hindoo,  pressed  on 
every  side  by  different  forms  of  Western  Christianity, 
should  say,  '  Gentlemen,  I  thank  you  for  the  good  you 
have  done  me,  but  as  I  am  sore  perplexed  by  you  all,  take 
yourselves  off,  leave  me  alone  with  God,  then  I  will  be 
fairly  dealt  with.'  It  was  a  positive  shame — it  was  a  disgrace 
— that  they  should  take  with  them  to  India  the  differences 
that  separated  them  a  few  yards  from  their  brethren  in 
this  country.  Is  it  not  monstrous  to  make  the  man  they 
ordained  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges  sign  the  Westminster 
Confession  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  or  the  Deed  of 
Demission  and  Protest  of  the  Free  Church  ?  Was  that 
the  wisest,  was  it  the  Christian  way  of  dealing  with 
Hindoos  ?  .  ,  .  .  And  were  they  presenting  the  truth  to 
the  native  mind  in  the  form  best  fitted  for  his  require- 
ments ?  The  doctrines  of  their  Confessions  might  be  true 
in  themselves,  but  the  Confession  was  a  document  closely 
connected  with  the  historical  development  and  with  the 
metaphysical  temperament  of  the  people  who  had  accepted 
it,  and  might  not  be  equally  suitable  for  those  who  had 

B   B   2 


372  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

not  the  same  traditions  and  tendencies.  Was  it  necessary 
to  give  these  minute  and  abstract  statements  to  Orientals 
whose  habits  of  mind  and  spiritual  affinities  might  lay  better 
hold  on  other  aspects  of  divine  truth,  and  who  might  mould 
a  theology  for  themselves,  not  less  Christian,  but  which 
would  be  Indian,  and  not  English  or  Scotch  ?  Tlie  block 
of  ice,  clear  and  cold,  the  beautiful  product  of  our  northern 
climes,  will  at  the  slighest  touch  freeze  the  warm  lips  of 
the  Hindoo.  Why  insist  that  he  must  take  that  or 
nothing  ?  Would  it  not  be  better  to  let  the  stream  flow 
freely  that  the  Eastern  may  quench  his  thirst  at  \\ill  from 
God's  own  water  of  life  ?  Would  it  not  be  possible 
for  the  Evangelical  Churches  to  drop  their  poculiarities, 
and  in  the  unselfishness  of  the  common  faith  construct  a 
Primer,  or  make  the  Apostles'  Creed  their  symbol,  and 
say,  '  This  is  not  all  you  are  going  to  learn,  but  if  you 
receive  this  truth  and  be  strong  in  the  f;iith,  we  will 
'  receive  you  so  walking,  but  not  to  doubtful  disputations  ; 
and,  if  in  anything  ye  be  otherwise  minded,  God  will 
reveal  even  this  unto  you  ?'  '  And  they  should  make 
known  the  truth  not  only  by  books  but  by  living  men. 
Send  them  the  missionary.  Let  him  be  a  man  who  embodies 
Christianity  ;  and  if  he  were  asked,  '  What  is  a  Christian  ? ' 
he  could  answer,  '  I  am  ;  I  know  and  love  Christ,  and  wish 
you  to  know  Him  and  love  Him  too.'  That  man  in  his 
justice,  generosity,  love,  self-sacrifice,  would  make  the 
Hindoo  feel  that  he  had  a  brother  given  him  by  a  common 
Father.  Let  them  prepare  the  Hindoos  to  form  a  Church 
for  themselves.  Give  them  the  gunpowder,  and  they  will 
make  their  own  cannon." 

While  advocating  these  catholic  aims,  ho  did  not 
forget  that  spirit  of  ecclesiasticism,  and  those  preju- 
dices and  bigotries  he  was  offending.  He  rose  into 
indignant  remonstrance  as  he  thought  of  how  India 
might  possibly  be  sacrificed  to  the  timidity  of  some  of 
the  clergy  afraid  to  speak  out  their  thoughts,  or,  still 
worse,  to  the  policy  of  others  who,   in  the   critical 


HIS  DEATH.  373 

position  of  tlie  Chiireh.  at  home,  were  cautious  not 
to  verify  the  accusations  of  latitudinarianism  made 
against  her  by  interested  opponents. 

"  You  must  take  care  lest  by  insisting  on  the  minutiae 
of  doctrine  or  government  you  are  not  raising  a  barrier  to 
the  advances  of  Christianity.  You  must  take  heed  lest 
things  infinitesimally  small  as  compared  with  the  great 
world,  may  not  be  kept  so  near  the  eye  as  to  conceal  the 
whole  world  from  you.  A  man  may  so  wrap  a  miserable 
partisan  newspaper  round  his  head  as  to  shut  out  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars.  You  must  take  care  that  your  Cairns  do 
not  stand  so  near  as  to  shut  out  Calcutta,  and  the  Watch- 
word make  you  so  tremble  for  petty  consequences  at  home 
that  all  India  is  forgotten  by  you.  I  am  not  speaking  for 
myself  alone,"  he  added,  "  for  I  know  how  these  difficulties 
press  upon  many  a  missionary — and  remember  how  more 
than  one  has  taken  my  hand,  and  said  we  dare  not  speak 
out  on  these  things,  lest  our  own  names  be  blasted,  our- 
selves represented  as  unsafe,  and  all  home-confidence  be 
removed  from  us.  But  why  should  they  be  afraid  of  such 
reproach  ?  Why  should  I  be  afraid  of  it  ?  Am  I  to  be 
silent  lest  I  should  be  whispered  about,  or  suspected,  or 
called  'dangerous,'  'broad,'  '  latitudinarian,'  'atheistic?' 
So  long  as  I  have  a  good  conscience  towards  God,  and 
have  His  sun  to  shine  on  me,  and  can  henr  the  birds 
singing,  I  can  walk  across  the  earth  with  a  joj'ful  and  free 
heart.  Let  them  call  me  '  broad.'  I  desire  to  be  broad 
as  the  charity  of  Almighty  God,  who  maketh  His  sun  to 
shine  on  the  evil  and  the  good  ;  who  hateth  no  man,  and 
who  loveth  the  poorest  Hindoo  more  than  all  their  com- 
mittees or  all  their  Churches.  But  while  I  long  for  that 
breadth  of  charity,  I  desire  to  be  narrow-^narrow  as 
God's  righteousness,  which  as  a  sharp  sword  can  separate 
between  eternal  rio^ht  and  eternal  wronsr." 


^o^ 


No  one  then  present  can  forget  the  thrilling  power, 
the  manly  bearing,  the  intensity  of  suppressed  feel- 
ing, with  which  these  words  were  uttered. 


37+  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD 

In  a  few  following  sentences  he  explained  how  he 
was  compelled  to  relinquish  all  public  work  for  the 
future,  thanked  his  brethren  for  the  kindness  he  had 
received  from  thc^m,  and  bidding  farewell  to  the 
Church  he  had  served  with  life -long  affection,  he 
ended  in  accents  broken  with  emotion,  'If  I  forget 
thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning — if  I  prefer  not  Jerusalem  above  my  chief 

joy.' 

It  was  a  last  and  fatal  effort.     The  hearts  of  many 

present  trembled  for  him  as  they  watched  the  unnatural 

flush  upon  his  cheeks,  and  marked  the  expenditure  of 

energy  the  exertion  cost  him.    To  more  than  one  of 

those  whose  eye  wistfully  followed  him,  as  he  left  the 

house,  the  sad  foreboding  came  that  it  was  theii-  last 

look  of  him. 

"  I  was  so  glad,"  one  writes,  "  I  heard  that  magnificent 
oration.  When  it  was  over,  I  bowed  my  head  in  my  hands, 
wishing  to  shut  out  everything  but  the  solemn  thoughts 
such  words  had  conjured  up.  I  felt  how  much  too  great  the 
exertion  had  been  for  him.  I  took  a  long  last  look  at  him 
before  I  left — the  conviction  being  somehow  strong  upon 
me  that  with  my  mortal  eyes  I  should  never  see  him  again." 

For  the  next  few  days  he  complained  of  uneasiness 
and  unaccountable  depression  of  spirits,  but  was  able 
to  preach  in  his  own  church  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
following  Lord's-day.  It  was  his  last  sermon,  and 
on  the  strikingly  appropriate  subject,  '  We  have  for- 
saken all,  and  followed  Thee ;  what  shall  we  have, 
therefore  ? '  A  sheet  of  note-paper  contains  all  he  had 
written  beforehand,  but  it  is  enough  to  show  that  his 
last  counsels  to  his  people  were  strangely  in  harmony 
with  the  situation.     His  theme  was  the  way  in  which 


HIS  DEATH.  375 

Christ  educated  His  disciples,  and  he  urged  upon  his 
hearers  the  truth  that  if  they  were  willing  to  accept 
His  guidance  every  day,  they  would  at  last  be  pre- 
pared cheerfully  to  suiTender  life  and  all  into  His 
hands. 

IS'ext  day,  the  3rd  of  June,  he  was  to  enter  his 
sixty -first  year,  and  he  had  such  a  strong  desire  to  have 
all  his  family  with  him  on  this  birthday,  that  he 
brought  his  aged  mother  from  the  country  and  asked 
leave  for  his  son  to  come  from  Liverpool.  There  was 
no  foreboding  in  all  this  of  immediate  danger.  He 
said  and  did  some  things  which  afterwards  seemed  to 
indicate  a  feeling  of  approaching  death.  When  at 
Balmoral  the  previous  week  he  spoke  to  more  than 
one  of  its  being  his  last  visit,  and  in  some  of  his  letters 
there  were  expressions  so  solemn  as  to  have  startled 
the  friends  who  received  them.  But  he  did  not  really 
think  that  his  end  was  so  near.  A  great  sadness 
weighed  on  him,  a  weariness  of  the  noise  and  dis- 
putings  of  men,  of  'the  burden  and  the  mystery'  of 
life ;  and  out  of  this  arose  a  more  childlike  clinging 
to  Christ  and  to  the  love  and  goodness  of  God. 
Deeply  affected  by  the  disturbed  condition  of  opinion 
in  the  world  and  the  Church,  he  cherished  only  a 
fuller  confidence  in  order  finally  coming  out  of  dis- 
order; and  feeling  his  own  life-work  was  over,  he 
entered  the  more  keenly  into  speculations  as  to  the 
character  of  the  life  beyond  the  grave.  The  future 
state,  the  society,  occupations  and  joy  of  the  blessed 
dead,  had  been  a  favourite  theme  with  him  for  many 
years,  but  during  the  last  few  days  of  his  life,  it 
seemed  to  engross  his  thoughts.     No  friend  could  be 


376  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

with  him  for  many  minutes  without  his  reverting  to 
it.  Under  the  influence  of  the  same  feelings  he  spoke 
of  his  death.  '  My  father  often  took  me  at  that  time 
to  diive  with  him,'  writes  one  of  his  daughters.  '  He 
talked,  or  rather  thought  aloud,  almost  always  about 
death  and  dying — the  dread  every  one  has  of  the  act 
of  dying ;  and  how  merciful  it  was,  that  though  a 
man  in  health  fears  death,  yet  when  he  is  weakened 
by  disease,  he  is  indifferent  to  its  terror ;  '  above  all, 
what  a  comfort  it  is  to  know  that  the  Man  Christ  Jesus 
died ! '  On  the  Friday  after  he  was  taken  ill,  I  was 
sitting  on  his  bed  hearing  how  he  was,  and  he  said, 
*  How  dreadful  it  would  be  if  a  God  of  hate  ruled  the 
world ;  how  he  could  torture  us  !  For  instance,  he 
could  make  us  die  more  than  once,  and  each  death 
become  a  dreadful  experience.  Let  us  thank  God  for 
His  love.  After  all,'  he  added  after  a  pause,  '  death  is 
a  wrong  name  for  it — it  is  bii'th  into  tlie  true  life.' 

The  greater  part  of  Monday,  3rd  June,  was  spent 
by  him  alone  in  the  outside  study.  He  passed  the  day 
chiefly  in  writing  letters  to  valued  friends  and  in  quiet 
meditation.  One  of  his  aunts  found  him  reading 
the  seventy-first  psalm,  and  he  at  once  made  it  the 
groundwork  of  one  of  those  out-pourings  of  his  deepest, 
most  inward  experiences  which  none  who  ever  heard 
them  can  forget.  In  the  evening  all  his  family  were 
gathered  round  his  table. 

From,  liis  JouRNAii : — 

"  June  2. — To-morrow,  if  I  live,  I  am  sixty.  I  enter 
on  the  last  decade  allotted  to  man.  I  cannot  take  it  in. 
lu  one   sense  I  am  young  in  heart.      I   dream,  as  I  have, 


ins  DEATH.  377 

alas  !  done  for  many  a  year,  of  what  I  may,  or  might  do — 
in  literature,  in  practical  work,  in  many  a  thing.  While  I 
dream  life  passes,  powers  fail,  and  I  feel  as  one  who  had 
done  nothingf,  and  know  that  I  have  done  little  in  com- 
parison  with  what  I  could  have  done,  had  I  only  been 
self-denying  and  diligent  in  college  and  in  riper  years. 
I  confess  with  shame  my  off-putting,  my  want  of  pains- 
takino-  and  earnestness  in  masterinsf  difficulties  and  details, 
my  indolence,  and  selfishness,  and  want  of  principle,  in  not 
attending  each  day,  from  youth  upwards,  in  doing,  to  the 
best  of  my  ability,  that  one  work,  Avhether  of  mastering 
a  lesson  or  anything  else,  given  me  to  do.  It  is  no  com- 
fort to  tell  me  what  I  have  done,  for  it  is  false  comfort. 
I  feel  it  truer  to  confess  what  I  have  not  done,  what  I 
ought  to  have  done,  what  I  could  have  done,  and  Avhich 
being  left  undone  has  been  a  felt,  real,  and  shameful  loss 
to  me  all  my  life.  Whatever  a  man's  natural  talent  may 
be,  whatever  success  he  has  had  in  the  world,  whatever 
good  he  has  accomplished,  it  yet  remams  true  that  he 
would  have  been  better,  wiser,  more  influential,  and  glori- 
fied God  far  more  if  he  had  been  a  careful,  accurate,  diligent 
scholar  at  school  and  college,  and  acquired  those  habits  of 
study,  that  foundation  of  knowledge,  without  which  talent 
is  stunted,  and  genius  itself  is  very  far  from  accomplishing 
that  which  it  otherwise  could  do.  God  blesses  the  self- 
sacrifice  of  study,  and  that  I  never  had  in  my  youth,  and 
for  that  I  have  suffered,  and  more  especially  as  I  have  in 
later  years  become  fully  alive  to  its  importance.  Morally 
and  intellectually  I  am  a  dismasted  wreck,  praising  and 
blessing  God  if  I  get  into  the  harbour,  and  reverencing 
those  who  are  good  men,  because  they  have  been  all  their 
lives  dutiful. 

"  My  life  has  been  to  me  a  mystery  of  love.  I  know 
that  God's  education  of  each  man  is  in  perfect  righteous- 
ness. I  know  that  the  best  on  earth  have  been  the 
greatest  sufferers,  because  they  were  the  best,  and,  like 
gold,  could  stand  the  fire  and  be  purified  by  it.  I  know 
this,  and  a  great  deal  more,  and  yet  the  mercy  of  God  to 
me  is  such  a  mystery,  that  I  have  been  tempted  to  think 
that  I  was  utterly  unworthy  of  suffering. 


378  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  God  have  raercy  on  my  thoughts  !  I  may  be  unable 
to  stand  suffering.  I  do  not  know.  But  I  lay  myself  at 
Thy  feet  and  say — not  that  I  am  prepared — but  that  Thou 
art  good,  and  wise,  and  wilt  prepare  me.  I  am  a  poor 
selfish  creature. 

"  God  is  all  in  all. 

"  God  is  love.     Amen. 

"  The  doctors  tell  me  I  am  in  danger,  and  that  unless  I 
give  up  work  I  may  not  live.  I  have  been  ill  for  the  last 
sixteen  years.  The  doctors  tell  me  that  I  must  get  quit 
of  worry.  I  have,  by  their  command,  given  up  on  Thurs- 
day last  the  Convenership  of  the  India  Mission.  I  feel  this. 
I  spoke  an  hour  and  a  half  on  the  subject,  but  the  reports 
of  my  speech  are  fearful ;  empty  of  all  I  said  that  is 
worth  anything,  full  of  horrors  and  absurdities  I  never 
said." 


To  Peincipal  Shairp  :— 

2>rd  Jane,  1872. 

"  I  am  three-score  years  to-day  ! 

"  John  dear,  I  cannot  speak  about  myself.  I  am  dumb 
with  thoughts  that  cannot  be  uttered. 

"  The  doctors  tell  me  that  unless  by  rest  of  body  and 
mind  I  can  conquer  incipient  disease,  it  wall  kill  me. 

"  So  I  am  obeying  to  the  best  of  my  ability. 

"  As  I  feel  time  so  rapidly  passing,  I  take  your  hand, 
dear  old  friend,  with  a  firmer  grip  ! 

"  I  have  many  friends  ;  few  old  ones  ! 

"  Oh  that  I  loved  my  oldest  and  truest,  my  Father  and 
Saviour,  better !  But  should  I  enter  heaven  as  a  forlorn 
ship,  dismasted,  and  a  mere  log — it  is  enough — for  I  will 
be  repaired. 

"  But  I  have  been  a  poor  concern,  and  have  no  peace 
but  in  God's  mercy  to  a  miserable  sinner. 

"  I  spoke  in  the  Assembly  on  India  Missions  for  an 
hour  and  a  half.  I  will  probably  print  it.  It  is  my 
programme  for  India.     It  knocked  me  up." 


HIS  DEATH.  379 

To  Mrs.  Macnab  (Sister  of  Dr.  Macleod  Cainpbell) :  — 

Zrd  June,  1872. 
Zrd  June,  1812. 

"  You  did  not  intend  it  to  be  a  birthday  gift  to  the 
child  you  had  in  your  arms  sixty  years  ago  !  But  so  it  is, 
and  it  is  doubly  precious  as  a  pledge  of  a  love  that  has 
remained  ever  bright  for  three-score  years,  and  will  be 
brighter  still  Avhen  time  shall  be  no  more.  God  bless  you 
and  preserve  you  to  us  on  earth  !  I  am  dumb  with  a  sense 
of  awe,  and  full  of  thoughts  that  cannot  be  uttered.  My 
only  rest  in  thinking  of  the  past  and  in  anticipating  the 
future  is  in  the  one  thought  of  '  God  my  Father.' 

"  I  am  so  glad  you  would  like  me  to  republish  my 
sketch  of  dear  John  Campbell.  What  would  you  say  to 
putting  in  an  appendix  some  extracts  from  his  books, 
expressive  of  his  leading  '  views  ? '  This  mi^'ht  help  some 
souls  in  perj^lexity,  and  induce  them  to  read  his  books. 
They  would  be  of  use  in  India. 

"  As  to  his  letters,  &c.,  no  one  felt  more  strongly  than 
John  Mackintosh  regarding  biographies.  The  only  thing 
which  induced  us  to  go  against  his  expressed  wishes  was 
the  conviction,  that  now  he  would  wish  to  do  whatever 
seemed  best  to  others,  whom  he  loved  and  trusted,  for  the 
glory  of  God.  And  surely  the  result  justified  us.  It 
seems  to  me  that  the  responsibility  of  not  permitting  men 
to  speak  when  dead  is  as  great  as  in  enabling  them  to  do 
so.  How  is  it  likely  they  would  judge  now  ?  is  a  question 
I  cannot  help  putting." 

To  Eev.  A.  Cleek,  wliose  son,  Duncan  Clerk,  was  then  dying : — 

June  3,  1872. 
"  It  is  very  solemn  and  very  affecting,  and  I  need  not 
say  how  deeply  we  sympathize  with  you.  Yet  there  is  but 
One  who  can  do  so  perfectly,  and  give  you  and  dear  Jessie 
faith  and  strength  at  this  terrible  crisis.  I  feel  how  im- 
possible it  is  to  convey  in  words  what  one  would  like  to 
say  at  such  a  time,  if  indeed  silence  does  not  best  express 
the  sense  of  darkness  and  oppression.  I  enter  to-day  my 
sixty-first  year,  and  have  my  mother  and  all  my  family 


38o  LIFE  OF  XORMAN  MACLEOD. 

around  me,  and  the  contrast  presented  between  my  house 
and  yours  makes  your  affliction  only  more  dark  and  scjlcmn. 
We  can  only  fall  back  on  God  to  deliver  me  from  a  slavish 
fear  of  coming  sorrows,  and  you,  my  dear  Archy,  from  a 
want  of  faith  in  His  constant  and  deep  love  to  you  and 
yours.  What  God  may  be  giving  you  in  this  form,  I  don't 
know.  Biit  I  am  sure  He  is  giving.  Those  He  has  taken, 
and  seems  to  be  taking,  have  been  among  His  elect  ones  if 
any  such  there  be  on  earth.  A  finer  boy  than  Duncan 
could  not  be.  Every  one  loved  and  respected  him.  He 
was  a  girl  in  purity,  a  child  in  humility,  modesty,  and 
obedience.  Fit  for  Heaven  !  fit  to  join  his  sainted  sister 
and  brothers.  You  have  both  sent  precious  treasures  there 
to  be  your  OAvn  riches  for  ever,  and  I  doubt  not  every  soul 
in  your  house  will  get  a  blessing.  A  holy  family  !  what 
an  awful  gift  from  God  !  I  don't  wish  to  speak  about  my- 
self, but  I  am  not  well.  The  doctors  have  discovered 
symptoms  so  serious  in  me  as  to  necessitate  my  getting 
rest  for  mind  and  body,  and  so  ward  off  what  would  very 
soon  kill  me.  So  I  gave  up  the  India  Mission,  and  am 
trying  to  sell  my  house  in  town,  and  get  one  in  the 
country.  All  my  lameness,  weariness,  all  are  from  the 
same  cause.  I  am  utterly  unable  to  stand  fatigue,  and  I 
am  still  suffering  from  my  long  (one  hour  and  a  half) 
speech  and  probably  my  last  in  the  Assembly.  I  fear  to 
attempt  to  go  to  you,  as  I  believe  I  would  add  to  your 
trouble,  I  get  so  prostrate.  I  am  seriously  alarmed  for 
myself  and  can  see  no  escape  at  present." 


To  the  Marchioness  of  Ely  (then  Lady  in  Waiting  at  Balmoral) : — 

Junt  3rd,  1872. 

"Dear  Lady  Ely, 

"  Whether  it  is  that  my  head  is  empty  or  my 
heart  full,  or  that  both  conditions  are  realised  in  my 
experience,  the  fact,  however,  is  that  I  carmot  express 
myself  as  I  feel,  in  replying  to  j^our  ladyship's  kind — far 
too  kind — note,  which  I  received  when  in  the  whirlwind, 
or  miasma  of  Assembly  business.  Thanks  deep  and  true 
to  you  and  to  my  Sovereign  Lady  for  thinking  of  me.      I 


HIS  DEATH.  381 

spoke  for  nearly  two  hours  in  the  Assembly,  which  did 
no  good  to  me,  nor  I  fear  to  any  other !  I  was  able  to 
preach  yesterday.  As  I  have  got  nice  summer  quarters,  I 
hope  to  recruit,  so  as  to  cast  off  this  dull,  hopeless  sort  oi 
feeling.  I  ought  to  be  a  happy,  thankful  man  to-day.  I 
am  to-day  sixty,  and  round  my  table  will  meet  my  mother, 
my  wife,  and  all  my  nine  children,  six  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  two  aunts — one  eighty-nine,  the  other  seventy-six, 
and  all  these  are  a  source  of  joy  and  thanksgiving.  Why 
such  mercies  to  me,  and  such  suffering  as  I  often  see  sent 
to  the  best  on  earth  ?  God  alone  knows.  I  don't.  But 
I  am  sure  He  always  acts  as  a  wise,  loving,  and  impartial 
Father  to  all  His  children.  What  we  know  not  now,  we 
shall  know  hereafter.  God  bless  the  Queen  for  all  her 
unwearied  goodness  !  I  admire  her  as  a  woman,  love  her 
as  a  friend,  and  reverence  her  as  a  Queen  ;  and  you  know 
that  what  I  say,  I  feel.  Her  courage,  patience,  and  en- 
durance are  marvellous  to  me." 


From  his  Jotjrnal — 

"  June  8. — I  am  this  day  three-score  years. 

"  The  Lord  is  mysterious  in  His  ways !  I  bless  and 
praise  Him. 

"  I  commit  myself  and  my  all  into  His  loving  hands, 
feeling  the  high  improbability  of  such  a  birthday  as  this 
ever  being  repeated. 

"  But  "we  shall  be  united  after  the  last  birthday  into 
heaven, 

"  Glory  to  God,  for  His  mercy  towards  us  guilty  sinners, 
through  Jesus  Christ  His  Son,  my  Lord. 

"  I  preached  at  Balmoral  ('  Thy  Kingdom  come'),  on  the 
27th  May.  The  Queen,  as  usual,  very  kind.  As  she  noticed 
my  feebleness,  she  asked  me  to  be  seated  during  the  private 
interview.  When  last  at  Balmoral,  I  met  Forster  (the  Cabi- 
net Minister)  there.  He  and  Helps  and  I  had  great  argu- 
ments on  all  important  theological  questions  till  very  late. 
I  never  was  more  impressed  by  any  man,  as  deep,  inde- 
pendent, thoroughly  honest  and  sincere.  I  conceived  a 
great  love  for  him.     I  never  met  a  statesman  whom,  for 


382  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

high-minded  honesty  and  justice,!  would  sooner  follow. 
He  will  be  Premier  some  day, 

"  Dear  Helps  !  man  of  men,  or  rather  brother  of  brothers. 

"  The  last  Assembly  has  been  the  most  reactionary  I  have 
ever  seen ;  all  because  Dr.  Cairns  and  others  have  attacked 
the  Church  for  her  latitudinarianism  !  The  lectures  of  Stanley 
have  aroused  the  wrath  of  the  Pharisees,  and  every  trembler 
wishes  to  prove  that  we  are  not  latitudinarian,  forsooth  !  If 
by  this  term  is  meant  any  want  of  foith  in  the  teaching  of 
Christ  and  His  apostles,  any  want  of  faith  in  the  Bible,  or 
in  the  supernatural,  or  in  Christ's  person  or  atonement 
(though  not  the  Cliurch  theory),  or  in  all  the  essentials  of 
the  faith  common  to  the  Church  catholic  ;  then  I  am  no 
latitudinarian.  But  if  by  this  is  meant  that  man's  con- 
science or  reason  (in  Coleridge's  sense)  is  not  the  ultimate 
judge  of  a  divine  revelation,  that  I  am  bound  to  stick  to 
the  letter  of  the  Confession,  and  to  believe,  for  example, 
that  all  mankind  are  damned  to  '  excruciatinGf  torn.ents  in 
soul  and  body  for  all  eternity,'  because  of  Adam's  sin,  and 
the  original  corruption  springing  therefrom,  and  that  God 
has  sent  a  Saviour  for  a  select  few  only,  and  that  death 
determines  the  eternal  condition  of  all  men  ;  then,  thank 
God,  I  am  a  latitudinarian,  have  preached  it,  confessed  it, 
and  can  die  for  it !  Nothing  amazes  or  pains  me  more  than 
the  total  absence  of  all  pain,  all  anxiety,  all  sense  of  burden  or 
of  difficulty  among  nine-tenths  of  the  clergy  I  meet,  as  to 
questions  which  keep  other  men  sleepless.  Give  me  only 
a  man  who  knows,  who  feels,  who  takes  in,  however  feebly 
(like  myself),  the  life  and  death  problems  which  agitate  the 
best  (yes,  the  best)  and  most  thoughtful  among  clergy  and 
laity,  who  thinks  and  prays  about  them,  Avho  feels  the 
difficulties  which  exist,  who  has  faith  in  God  that  the 
right  will  come  right,  in  God's  Avay,  if  not  in  his,  I  am 
strengthened,  comforted,  and  feel  deeply  thankful  to  be 
taught.  But  what  good  can  self-satisfied,  infallible  Ultra- 
montanes  do  for  a  poor,  weak,  perplexed  soul  ?  Nay,  what 
good  can  puppies  do  who  may  accept  congenial  conclusions 
without  feeling  the  difficulties  by  which  they  are  surrounded? 
What  have  1  suffered  and  endured  in  this  my  little  back 
study,  which  I  must  soon  leave  !      How  often  from  my 


HIS  DEATH.  383 

books  have  I  crazed  out  of  this  window  before  me,  and 
found  strength  and  peace  in  the  httle  bit  of  the  sky- 
revealed,  with  its  big  cumuli  clouds,  its  far-away  ciiri 
streaks,  and,  farther  still,  its  deep,  unfathomable  blue — its 
infinite  depths  I  could  not  pierce  !  j^et  seeing — in  the 
great  sunlight,  in  the  glory  of  cloudland,  in  the  peace  of 
the  sky — such  a  revelation  of  God  as  made  me  say,  '  The 
Lord  reigneth,  let  the  earth  rejoice  !' 

"  The  older  I  get  I  find  more  and  more  teaching  from 
God's  revelation  in  nature. 

"  The  confusion  that  exists  at  this  moment,  and  which 
began  soon  after  the  war  of  '15,  and  is  as  eventful  as  the 
Reformation,  is  most  oppressive. 

'  Every  tliiug  is  sundering, 
And  every  one  is  wondering, 
As  this  huge  <ilobe  goes  thundering 
On  for  ever  on.' 

"  On  the  one  hand,  there  is  a  breaking  up  of  the  old 
forms  of  thought  about  everything,  social,  political,  scien- 
tific, philosophic,  and  theological.  In  spite  of  much  fool- 
ish conceit  and  sense  of  power  on  the  part  of  those  who 
guide  the  battering-rams  against  the  old  walls,  there  is  on 
the  part  of  many  more,  a  great  sense  of  the  paramount  im- 
portance of  truth  and  duty  which,  if  piously  considered, 
would  but  express  faith  in  God,  Who  is  ever  on  the  side  of 
truth,  whether  Huxley,  Darwin,  or  any  other  express  it, 
albeit  without  sympathy  for  the  speakers  unless  they  be 
truthful.  On  the  part  of  the  defenders  there  are  all  shades 
of  feeling.  Not  a  few  from  faith  in  God  and  Christ,  and 
in  the  verities  of  that  moral  and  spiritual  kingdom  which, 
having  in  themselves,  they  knoAV  cannot  be  moved,  accept  of 
these  attacks,  not  as  from  real  enemies,  but  friends,  because 
beUeving  that  Christianity  will  ever  be  found  far  ahead  of 
men,  will  soon  '  prepare  a  place '  for  all  real  truth,  so  that 
wherever  Christ  is,  there  it  may  be  also.  But  others  are 
in  terror,  and  either  refuse  to  look  at  Avhat  professes  to  be 
truth  in  the  face,  and  only  call  its  professors  nick-names, 
or  try  the  Romish  Syllabus  dodge,  and  gather  into  clulis, 
Hke  Jesuits,  and  in  vain,  by  assertion,  try  to  stop  the 
movement. 


38).  JJFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

"  So  we  are  split  up  into  fragments,  and  while  Rome 
remains  whole, — in  its  blindness  swearing  there  is  no  light 
because  it  docs  not  see  it,  and  cursing  all  eye-doctors  and 
spectacles. 

"  As  for  Scotland  !  The  Church  of  the  future  is  not 
here  !  We  ignore  great  world-questions.  We  squabble 
like  fishwomen  over  skate  and  turbot. 

"  Where  is  the  germ  of  the  Church  of  the  future  ?  In 
what  Church  ?  In  what  creed  ?  In  what  forms  of  Efovern- 
ment  ?  It  may  come  from  India,  as  the  first  came  from 
the  East.  But  all  our  old  forms  are  eflete,  as  old  oaks, 
although  young  ones  may  grow  out  of  them.  Neither 
Calvinism,  nor  Presbyterianism,  nor  Thirty-nine  Articles, 
nor  nigh  Churchism,  nor  Low  Churchism,  nor  any  existing 
organization  can  be  the  Church  of  the  future  !  May  God 
give  us  patience  to  Avait !  It  may  be  a  thousand,  or  three 
thousand  years  yet,  ere  it  comes,  but  come  it  will !  I 
do  not  think  any  Broad  Church  can  be  tlie  Church  yet ; 
it  wants  definiteness  to  meet  the  common  mind  of  rough 
humanity.  But  in  a  Church  it  can  modify  and  liberalise 
extremes,  witness  for  individuality  against  any  extreme 
views  of  the  body,  and  so  help  to  an  ultimate  solu- 
tion of  the  problem  between  the  individual  and  the 
Church.  I  shall  see  it  from  the  other  side  ;  but  not 
from  this. 

"  I  resigned  the  Convenership  of  the  India  Mission  as  I 
have  said.  I  made  a  long  speech  not  reported.  Dear 
Watson  has  been  rejected  as  Convener.  Herdman  appointed. 
This  is  of  interest  merely  as  showing  the  contest  between 
the  parties  in  the  Church.  These  are  the  Ultra-Evan- 
gelical and  the  Liberal  " 

Thus  ends  the  journal  he  kept  so  faithfully  through 
his  busy  life. 

On  the  same  day  his  birthday  festival  was  held  with 
a  joy  that  was  shadowed  by  haunting  fears  of  coming 
change.  His  worn  and  shattered  aspect,  and  his  sad, 
tender  bearing,  suggested  painful  forebodings  to  those 


HIS  DEATH.  38s 

who  loved  him,  and  who  could  scarcely  refrain  from 
showing  their  anxiety. 

On  the  following  Thursday  he  took  his  mother 
and  aunt  for  a  drive  in  an  open  carriage.  The 
day  was  treacherous,  and,  before  they  returned,  the 
bright  sunshine,  which  had  tempted  them  to  go 
out,  departed,  and  a  piercing  east  wind  came  on. 
In  his  anxiety  for  his  delicate  aunt  he  wrapped 
his  own  plaid  round  her,  and  exposed  himself  to  a 
chill,  which,  in  his  broken  condition  of  health,  proved 
fatal.  When  he  came  home  he  was  seized  with  a 
shiver,  followed  by  an  intense  pain  in  the  chest,  and 
for  the  next  few  days  experienced  extreme  suffering, 
combined  with  overpowering  attacks  of  sickness.  He 
spent  some  hours  that  evening  with  his  mother,  and 
aunts,  and  sister,  who  resided  a  few  doors  from  his 
own  house.  It  was  the  day  of  the  funeral  of  a 
favourite  nephew,  Duncan  Clerk,  and  partly  to  com- 
fort his  sorrowing  niece,  who  was  present,  as  well 
as  to  give  expression  to  thoughts  of  which  his  mind 
was  full,  he  talked  with  more  than  usual  power — 
almost  with  excitement — regarding  the  glorified  life 
of  those  who  had  departed  in  the  Lord.  He  recalled 
the  names  and  characters  of  deceased  relatives,  and 
described  the  joy  of  meeting  and  recognising  them. 
He  spoke  of  his  father,  of  James,  of  sisters  and 
uncles  who  were  dead,  and  of  John  Mackintosh ; 
and  when  one  of  the  party  chanced  to  allude  to 
their  departure  as  loss,  he  vehemently  remonstrated 
against  such  a  view.  '  Love  is  possession,  love  is 
possession,'  he  repeated  with  an  emphasis,  which  those 
who  listened  to  him  have  since  learned  to  apply  to 

VOL.   II.  c   c 


386  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

the  separation  they  feared,  hut  the  immincuce  of  which 
tliey  did  not  then  anticipate.  Before  parting  from  his 
niotliur  that  evening — the  last  they  were  to  spend 
together  on  earth—  he  poured  out  his  soul  in  a  prayer 
which  melted  every  heart.  It  was  a  triumphant  thanks- 
giving to  God,  which  recalled  his  own  past  history, 
and  the  history  of  the  ftimily,  revived  the  names  of 
many  dear  ones  who  had  entered  into  rest,  and 
concluded  with  a  glorious  profesbion  of  gratitude,  con- 
fidence, and  joy. 

His  restlessness  night  and  day  became  dreadful,  but 
as  the  symptoms  seemed  to  arise  from  indigestion,  for 
a  time  no  strong  measures  were  taken.  In  order 
to  alleviate  this,  and  to  give  him  greater  freedom, 
Mrs.  Macleod  removed  his  bed  to  the  drawing-room. 
The  pain  gradually  lessened,  but  his  strength  went 
visibly  down,  and  his  brother,  Professor  Macleod, 
who  had  been  out  of  town,  was,  on  his  return,  so 
much  struck  by  the  change  in  his  appearance,  that, 
though  not  anticipating  any  immediately  fatal  result, 
he  suspected  the  imminence  of  graver  complications. 
In  order  to  secui-e  complete  rest  for  him,  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  his  giving  up  every  kind  of 
work  for  six  months.  This  fact  was  communicated 
tc  him  on  Tuesday  the  11th,  and  was  received  with 
perfect  composure ;  but  when  his  brother  left,  Mrs. 
Macleod  found  him  in  the  drawing-room  deadly  pale 
and  nearly  fainting.  The  proposal  had  shocked  him 
more  than  he  knew,  as  indicating  the  cessation  of  his 
active  life;  but  he  revived  after  a  little,  and  spoke 
of  how  delightful  it  would  be  to  take  all  his  childi'en 
to  Cannstadt,  and  how  he  would  enjoy  six  months' 
rest  with  his  family  and  his  books. 


HIS  DEATH.  387 

The  rapid  sinking  of  his  strength,  the  increasing 
tendency  to  faintnoss,  the  casual  rambling  of  his 
thoughts,  showed,  however,  too  plainly  the  severity  of 
the  attack,  and  his  medical  attendants  held  a  consulta- 
tion on  Thursday,  in  which  Professor  Gairdner  joined. 
Their  examination  showed  that  rapid  effusion  had 
taken  place  into  the  pericardium. 

That  morning,  when  one  of  his  brothers  saw  him, 
he  described  a  dream  which  seemed  for  the  time  to 
fill  him  with  happiness  : — '  I  have  had  such  a  glorious 
dream !  I  thought  the  whole  Punjaub  was  suddenly 
Christianised,  and  such  noble  fellows,  with  their  native 
churches  and  clergy.' 

The  next  day  he  was  very  weak,  but  on  Saturday 
the  doctors  found  him  considerably  better.  The  birth 
of  his  brother  Donald's  eldest  son,  which  occurred  that 
morning,  took  a  strange  hold  of  his  mind,  and  wdicn  the 
father  called  for  him  he  found  him  filled  with  solemn 
thoughts  suggested  by  the  gift  of  this  new  life.  He 
was  seated  in  a  stooping  position,  his  elbows  resting 
on  his  linees,  to  relieve  the  pain  in  his  chest,  and 
while  he  spoke  his  eyes  overflowed  with  tears,  as  with 
broken  utterance  he  touched  on  what  had  always 
been  a  congenial  theme : — '  Christ  spoke  of  the  joy 
of  a  man-child  being  born  into  the  world.  He  alone 
could  measure  all  that  is  imj^lied  in  the  beginning  of 
such  an  existence.  A  man  born !  One  that  may 
know  God  and  be  with  Him  for  ever.  A  son  of 
God  like  Jesus  Christ — how  grand — how  awfully 
grand ! '  * 

*  The  same   newspaper  which  announced  the  birth  of  this  boy, 
Norman,  contained  the  news  of  his  nr.cle's  death. 

c  c  2 


388  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

That  evening  he  was  so  much  bettor  as  to  enjoy 
music,  and  his  daughters  played  and  sang  some  of  his 
favourite  pieces, — the  'Marche  Funebre'  of  Beethoven, 
with  a  part  of  the  Sonata  ;  Mozart's  '  Kyrie  Eleison ;' 
'  Ach  wie  ist  es  moglich ! '  '  Nearer,  my  God,  to 
Thee.'  He  was  greatly  moved  by  Newman's  well- 
known  hymn,  '  Lead  kindly  light,'  which,  strange  to 
say,  he  had  never  heard  sung  before.  Every  word 
seemed  so  appropriate  that  he  made  his  daughter  sit 
beside  him  that  he  might  hear  her  more  distinctly, 
and  he  shook  his  head  and  bowed  it  with  emphatic 
acquiescence  at  different  passages,  especially  at  the 
linos, — 

"  Keep  Thou  my  feet :  I  do  not  ask  to  see 
The  distant  scene  :  one  step  enough  for  me." 

On  that  night,  as  well  as  on  the  previous  one,  his 
brother  George  sat  up  with  him.  On  the  Friday 
night  he  had  suffered  extremely,  but  he  was  now 
slightly  better.  He  had  snatches  of  sleep,  often  rose 
and  walked  through  the  room,  sometimes  indulging 
in  bits  of  fun,  and  shaking  with  laughter  at  sallies 
of  wit  which  were  evidently  intended  to  relieve  his 
brother's  anxiety.  Sometimes  his  mind  slightly 
wandered.  More  than  once  he  engaged  in  silent 
prayer,  and  after  one  of  these  still  moments  he 
said,  '  I  have  been  praying  for  this  little  boy  of 
Donald's — that  he  may  live  to  be  a  good  man,  and  by 
God's  grace  be  a  minister  in  the  Church  of  Christ — 
the  grandest  of  all  callings  ! ' 

He  described  with  great  delight  the  dreams  he  had 
been  enjoying,  or  rather  the  visions  which  seemed  to 
be   passing  vividly  before   his  eyes   even  while   he 


HIS  DEATH.  389 

was  speaking.  '  You  cannot  imagine  wliat  exquisite 
pictures  I  see.  I  never  beheld  more  glorious  High- 
lands, majestic  mountains  and  glens,  brown  heather 
tinted  with  purple,  and  burns — clear,  clear  burns — 
and  above,  a  sky  of  intense  blue — so  blue,  without 
a  cloud ! ' 

He  spoke  of  an  unusual  number  of  friends,  and 
rememberino;  that  the  Queen  was  then  leaving 
Balmoral  for  Windsor,  he  prayed  aloud  for  her  and 
her  children. 

Seeinc:  that  his  brother  was  anxious  that  he  should 
sleep,  he  said,  '  Tell  me  about  the  Crimea,  and  what 
you  saw  there.  There  is  nothing  I  like  so  much  as 
stories  of  battles.  If  you  tell  me  what  you  saw 
you  will  soothe  me  to  sleep  like  a  child.  I  never 
could  well  make  out  the  position  of  the  Flagstaff 
battery.  ITow,  just  go  on  !'  Once,  during  the  night, 
he  asked  his  brother,  with  great  tenderness,  to  kiss 
him  ;  and  at  another  time,  when  awaking  from  sleep, 
he  held  up  his  hands,  as  if  pronounc'"iig  the  benedic- 
tion in  church,  and  said  with  much  solemnity,  '■  May 
the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  oi 
God,  and  the  Communion  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  with 
you  all.  Amen.'  So  passed  his  last  night  on  earth, 
troubled,  yet  peaceful,  and  full  of  the  unselfishness 
and  simplicity  of  his  life. 

On  the  morning  of  Sunday,  the  sixteenth  of  June, 
he  was  so  much  better  that  his  brother  left  him  in 
comparative  comfort,  and  when  Professor  Andrew 
Buchanan  saw  him  some  hours  afterwards,  he  was 
surprised  at  the  great  improvement  which  had  taken 
place.     He  felt  so  refreshed  after  taking  some  food, 


3Q0  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

about  seven  in  the  morning,  that  he  aslced  his  wife 
to  sit  beside  him  while  he  told  hor  the  deeper 
thoughts  that  were  possessing  his  soul.  '  I  believe  I 
Avill  get  better,'  he  said,  '  but  I  wish  you  to  record 
for  my  good  and  for  our  good  afterwards,  that  in 
this  hurricane  I  have  had  deep  thoughts  of  God. 
I  I'cel  as  if  He  said,  '  We  know  one  another,  I  love 
you,  I  forgive  you  ;  I  put  my  hands  round  you,'  just 
as  I  would  with  my  son  Norman,'  and  here  he  laid 
his  own  hand  tenderly  on  his  wife's  head.  '  I  have 
had  few  religious  exercises  for  the  last  ten  days.  If 
my  son  were  ill  I  would  not  be  angry  with  him  for 
not  sending  me  a  letter.  But  I  have  had  constant 
joy,  and  the  happy  thought  continually  whispered, 
^Thou  art  with  me!'  Not  many  would  understand 
m(\  They  would  put  down  much  that  I  have  felt  to 
the  delirium  of  weakness,  but  I  have  had  deep  spirit- 
ual insight.'  "When  he  was  sjieaking  of  God's  deal- 
ings, the  expression  of  his  face  and  his  accents  were 
as  if  he  was  addressing  One  actually  present.  Still 
more  intimately,  it  seemed,  than  ever,  his  fellowship 
was  with  the  Father  and  the  Son.  He  again  repeated 
that  he  believed  he  would  get  better,  and  that  his 
latter  days  would  be  more  useful  tlian  any  former 
ones.  '  I  have  neglected  many  things.  I  have  not 
felt  as  I  ouglit  how  awfully  good  God  is  ;  how  gene- 
rous and  long-suffering ;  how  He  has  '  put  up '  with 
all  my  rubbish.  It  is  enough  to  crush  me  when  I 
think  of  all  His  mercies'  (as  he  said  this  he  was 
melted  in  tears),  '  mercy,  mercy,  from  beginning  to 
end.  You  and  I  have  passed  through  many  life- 
storms,  but  we  can   say  with  peace,  it  has  been  all 


HIS  DEATH.  391 

right.'  He  added  some  thing  she  could  not  follow 
as  to  what  he  would  wish  to  do  in  his  latter  days, 
and  as  to  how  he  '  would  teach  his  darling  children 
to  know  and  realise  God's  presence.'  He  told  her 
once  more  to  write  down  all  he  had  said,  that  it 
might  do  her  good  when  her  own  day  of  sorrow 
came.  He  frequently  said  that  this  visitation  was 
quite  unexpected. 

Some  hours  afterwards  two  of  his  daughters  came 
to  kiss  him  before  going  to  church.  '  He  took  my 
hands  in  both  of  his,'  one  of  them  writes,  'and  told 
me  I  must  come  to  see  him  oftener.  'If  I  had 
strength,'  he  said,  'I  could  tell  you  things  would  do 
you  good  through  all  your  life.  I  am  an  old  man,  and 
have  passed  through  many  experiences,  but  now  all 
is  perfect  peace  and  perfect  calm.  I  have  glimpses 
of  heaven  that  no  tongue,  or  pen,  or  words  can 
describe.'  I  kissed  him  on  his  dear  forehead  and 
went  away,  crying  only  because  he  was  so  ill.  When 
I  next  saw  him  he  was  indeed  '  in  perfect  peace  and 
perfect  calm,' 

The  church  bells  had  for  some  time  ceased  to  ring, 
and  the  quiet  of  the  Lord's-day  rested  on  the  city. 
His  wife  and  one  of  his  sons  were  with  him  in  the 
drawing-room,  where  he  remained  chiefly  sitting  on 
the  sofa.  About  twelve  o'clock  Mrs.  Macleod  went 
to  the  door  to  give  some  directions  about  food.  The 
sudden  cry,  'Mother,  mother!'  startled  her,  and 
when  she  hurried  in  she  saw  his  head  had  fallen  back. 
There  was  a  soft  sigh,  and,  gently  as  one  sinking  into 
sleep,  his  spirit  entered  the  eternal  rest. 


CHAPTER  XXy. 

THE   FUNERAL. 

'  I  I  AD  I  a  wish  on  so  solemn  a  subject,  I  would  be 
JJ-  disposed  to  choose  a  sudden  death.'  So  had 
he  wi'itten  some  years  before ;  and  those  who  knew  and 
loved  him  best,  when  their  grief  was  so  far  assuaged 
as  to  allow  them  to  judge  calmly,  thanked  God  for 
the  time  and  manner  in  which  it  pleased  Him  to  take 
His  servant  to  Himself.  His  death  came  when  his 
work  was  in  a  sense  complete.  He  had  all  but  accom- 
plished his  plans  for  meeting  the  spiritual  necessities 
of  his  great  parish.*  He  had  borne  his  last  mature 
testimony  on  behalf  of  India ;  and  his  work  in  the 
Church  and  in  the  country  had,  in  many  ways,  reached 
its  fulness.  Had  it  pleased  God  so  to  order  it,  he 
would  doubtless  have  meekly  accepted  the  burden  of 
an  enfeebled  old  age  spent  in  retirement,  or,  by  divine 
grace,  would  have  patiently  endured  protracted  sujffer- 

*  Wliat  remained  to  be  done  was  rapidly  executed  after  his  death. 
Three  of  the  Mission  Chapels  were  endowed  as  parishes  by  three  of  his 
friends — Kelvinhaugh  and  Bluevale  (the  first  and  the  last  ho  built), 
being  severally  endowed  by  Mr.  Whitelaw  and  Mr.  James  Baird,  and 
his  own  Mission  Church  erected  into  what  is  now  called  '  The  Macleod 
Parish,'  by  Mr.  J.  II.  Houldsworth.  The  congregation  of  the  Barony 
completed  in  like  manner  the  remaining  parochial  appliances  which 
he  had  projected,  and  built  a  Memorial  Missionary  Institute  in  a 
destitute  part  of  the  parish. 


THE  FUNERAL.  393 

iiig,  and  watched  with  fortitude  the  slow  approach  of 
certain  death.  Eut  neither  of  these  experiences — 
both  so  trying  to  a  temperament  like  his — was  allotted 
to  him.  His  active  nature  did  not  survive  its  useful- 
ness ;  and  instead  of  being  kept  under  what,  to  his 
vivid  imagination,  might  have  been  the  appalling  con- 
sciousness of  life  slowly  ebbing  away,  his  spirit  passed, 
without  a  struggle,  into  that  Presence  in  which  his 
thoughts  and  affections  had  long  made  themselves  a 
beloved  abode. 

The  news  of  his  death  passed  with  extraordinary 
speed  through  the  kingdom,  and  everywhere  produced 
a  profound  impression.  No  man,  since  Chalmers,  was 
so  much  mourned  in  Scotland.  People  who  had  never 
exchanged  a  word  with  him  felt  and  S23oke  as  if  a 
personal  friend  had  been  taken  away,  and  those  who 
had  deemed  it  their  duty  sometimes  to  oppose  him 
even  with  bitterness,  were  the  foremost  to  pay  honour 
to  the  rich  humanity  and  religious  nobleness,  which 
had  raised  him  above  the  influence  of  all  party  strife. 

A  vague  rumour  of  his  death  having  reached  the 
Queen  she  at  once  telegraphed  for  information,  and 
with  that  ready  sympathy  which  has  so  endeared  her 
to  the  nation,  she  addressed  the  following  letter  to  his 
brother : — 

Balmoral,  Jtme  VWi,  1872. 

"  The  Queen  hardly  knows  how  to  begin  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Donald  Macleod,  so  deep  and  strong  are  her  feelings  on 
this  most  sad  and  most  painful  occasion — for  words  are  all 
too  weak  to  say  what  she  feels,  and  what  all  must  feel 
who  ever  knew  his  beloved,  excellent,  and  highly  gifted 
brother,  Dr.  Norman  Macleod  ! 

First  of  all,  to  his  family — his  venerable,   loved,  and 


394  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

honoured  mother,  his  wife  and  large  family  of  children — 
the  loss  of  this  good  man  is  irreparable  and  overwhelming  ! 
But  it  is  an  irrej)arable  pul>lic  loss,  and  the  Queen  feels 
this  deeply.  To  herself  personally,  the  loss  of  dear  Dr. 
Macleod  is  a  very  great  one  ;  he  was  so  kind,  and  on  all 
occasions  showed  her  such  warm  sympathy,  and  in  the 
early  days  of  her  great  sorrow,  gave  the  Queen  so  much 
comfort  whenever  she  saw  him,  that  she  always  looked 
forward  eagerly  to  those  occasions  when  she  saw  him  here  ; 
and  she  cannot  realise  the  idea  that  in  this  world  she  is 
never  to  see  his  kind  face,  and  listen  to  those  admirable 
discourses  Avhich  did  every  one  good,  and  to  his  charming 
conversation  again ! 

"  The  Queen  is  gratified  that  she  was  able  to  see  him 
this  last  time,  and  to  have  some  lengthened  conversation 
with  him,  when  he  dwelt  much  on  that  future  world  to 
which  he  now  belongs.  He  was  sadly  depressed  and  suf- 
fering, but  still  so  near  a  termination  of  his  career  of 
intense  usefulness  and  loving-kindness,  never  struck  her 
or  any  of  us  as  likely,  and  the  Queen  Avas  terribly  shocked 
on  learning  the  sad,  sad  news.  All  her  children,  present 
and  absent,  deeply  mourn  his  loss.  The  Queen  would  be 
very  grateful  for  all  the  details  which  Mr.  D.  Macleod  can 
give  her  of  the  last  moments  and  illness  of  her  dear  friend. 

"Pray,  say  everything  kind  and  sympathising  to  their 
venerable  mother,  to  Mrs.  N.  Macleod,  and  all  the  family  ; 
and  she  asks  him  to  accept  himself  of  her  true  heart-felt 
sympathy." 

Among  many  valued  tributes  of  respect  paid  to  his 
memory,  but  which  it  would  be  superfluous  to  mention 
here  in  detail,*  there  was  one  that,  for  many  reasons, 
has  a  peculiar  interest. 

*  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the  touching  allusions  made  on 
the  Sunflay  after  his  biirial  in  so  many  of  the  pulpits  of  all  churchea 
in  the  kingdom;  and  of  these  there  were  none  truer  or  more  beautiful 
than  those  spoken  in  the  Barony  by  Dr.  "Watson  of  Dundee,  and  Dr. 
Taj'lor  of  Crathie.  Many  kind  notices  of  his  life  appeared  at  the  time 
in  the  Press,  among  which  was  an  exquisite  sketch  of  his  career 
and  character,  contributed  to  the  Times  bj'  Dean  Stanley;  and  simi- 


THE  FUNERAL.  395 

The  Arclibishop  of  Canterbury,  with  characteristic 
catholicity  of  spirit,  thus  addressed  the  Moderator  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland : — 

Lambeth  Palace,  Londok,  June  l9iA,  1873. 

"  My  dear  Moderator, 

"  Will  you  allo-w  me  to  express  to  you 
officially  the  deep  feeling  of  sorrow  with  which  I  have 
heard  of  the  loss  that  has  befallen  the  Established  Church 
of  Scotland  by  the  death  of  Dr.  Norman  Macleod  ?  He 
was  so  widely  known  in  England  as  well  as  in  Scotland, 
and,  indeed,  wherever  our  mother  tongue  is  spoken,  that 
his  death  seems  a  national  loss.  So  zealous,  large-hearted, 
and  gifted  a  pastor  could  ill  be  spared  at  any  time  to  the 
Christian  Church.  While  his  own  people  lament  that 
they  no  longer  hear  his  familiar  voice,  winning  them  by 
his  wise  spoken  counsels,  his  written  words  will  be  missed 
in  thousands  of  homes  in  every  quarter  of  the  world  ;  and 
the  Established  Church,  over  which  you  preside,  will  deeply 

larly  affectionate  and  appreciative  papers  were  wi'itten  by  Dr.  "Walter 
Smith  in  Qood  Words,  and  by  Mr.  Strahan  in  the  Conteviporary . 
Addresses  of  condolence  were  sent  to  his  family  from  such  public 
bodies  as  the  Presbytery  of  Glasgow,  the  India  Mission,  the  Barony 
Kirk  Session,  the  Barony  Sabbath  School  Association,  the  Bible 
Society,  the  Sunday  School  Society  of  Stockport,  the  Scottish  Amicable 
Insurance  Society,  of  which  he  was  a  director,  the  Sons  of  the  Clergy, 
and  several  others.  A  tablet  to  his  memory  has  been  put  up  in  the 
Parish  Church  of  Loudoun,  where  his  early  labours  are  still  cherished 
in  the  affectionate  memory  of  the  people,  and  a  statue  is  about  to  be 
erected  in  Glasgow.  At  Crathie,  two  stained  windows  have  been  placed 
in  the  church  by  Her  Majesty — the  one  bearing  a  figure  of  King  David, 
and  the  other  one  of  St.  Paul — representing  the  gifts  of  poetry  and 
missionary  zeal.  On  the  former  there  is  inscribed  : — "  In  Memory  of 
the  Eev.  Norman  Macleod,  D.D.,  Dean  of  the  Most  Noble  and  Most 
Ancient  Order  of  the  Thistle,  Dean  of  the  Chapel  Eoyal,  and  One  of 
Her  Majesty's  Chaplains,  a  man  eminent  in  the  Church,  honoured  in 
the  State,  and  in  many  lands  greatly  beloved ; "  on  the  other,  the 
text — '  They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment ;  and  thej'  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for  ever 
and  ever.' — Dan.  xii.  3.  Several  months  after  his  death,  his  family 
were  surprised  and  gratified  by  finding  the  competency  he  had  provided 
for  them  largely  inci'eased  by  those  who  had  loved  him  ;  and  this  was 
done  in  a  manner  so  delicate,  as  to  make  the  mention  of  it  here  a 
privilege. 


396  LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 

feel  the  removal  of  one  who  hold  so  high  a  place  amongst 
its  wisest  and  most  strenuous  defenders. 

*'  Believe  me  to  be,  my  dear  Moderator, 
"  Your  faithful  servant, 

"A.  C.   Cantuar." 

It  is  "unfortunately  so  seldom  the  representatives  of 
the  National  Churches  of  England  and  Scotland  ex- 
change official  communications,  that  this  letter  becomes 
the  more  remarkable  as  indicating  at  once  the  wide 
influence  exercised  by  Dr.  Macleod,  and  the  reality  of 
that  unity  in  virtue  of  which,  if  one  branch  of  the 
Church  suffers,  the  whole  Church  suffers  with  it. 

His  funeral  took  place  on  Thursday,  the  20th,  and 
was  celebrated  with  a  solemnity  unparalleled  in  the 
history  of  the  city  with  which  his  laboui's  were  so 
long  associated. 

The  day  was  of  hoavenly  beauty,  seeming  the  more 
beautiful  that  it  had  been  preceded  and  was  followed 
by  days  of  storm.  There  was  a  private  service  at  his 
own  house,  for  the  members  of  his  family,  at  which 
his  friend  Dr.  Watson  officiated,  and  from  his  house 
to  the  Barony  church,  where  his  remains  were  first 
borne,  the  streets  were  lined  with  an  observant  multi- 
tude. The  Barony  church  was  filled  with  the  members 
of  his  own  congregation,  and  of  his  Mission  churches, 
and  the  venerable  Cathedi'al  seemed  doubly  solemn 
from  the  reverent  throng  of  mourning  friends  and 
representatives  of  public  bodies  gathered  there  to 
do  honour  to  the  dead. 

Among  those  present  were  Dr.  Robertson,  Queen's 
commissioner,  sent  by  Her  Majesty  to  represent  Her- 
self and  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  the  Hon.  E.  C. 


THE  FUNERAL.  397 

Yorke,  who  acted  in  a  similar  capacity  for  the  Duke 
of  Edinburgh. 

The  service  in  the  Barony  was  conducted  by  Dr. 
Burns,  the  miriister  of  the  Cathedral,  and  by  Dr. 
Walter  C.  Smith,  of  the  Free  Church,  while  Professor 
Eadie,  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Chui'ch,  and  Dr. 
Smith,  of  North  Leith,  officiated  in  the  Cathedral. 

When  the  solemn  services  were  concluded,  the  cor- 
tege was  accompanied  to  the  outskirts  of  the  city  by 
the  magistrates  of  Glasgow,  the  sheriffs,  the  repre- 
sentatives of  Eoyalty,  the  senate  of  the  University,  and 
by  other  public  functionaries  in  their  official  robes  ;  by 
clergymen  of  all  Churches,  gathered  from  many  dis- 
tricts of  the  country,  and  by  the  members  of  various 
religious  and  other  societies  with  which  he  had  been 
connected.  These  preceded  the  hearse,  and  behind  it 
and  the  mourning  relatives,  there  followed  a  long  line  of 
nearly  three  thousand  persons  of  all  classes  of  the  com- 
munity. This  demonstration  of  respect  was  the  more 
gratifying  that  it  was  entirely  spontaneous.  As  the 
great  procession  moved  on  to  the  sad  music  of  the 
'  Dead  March,'  it  was  watched  along  the  whole  route 
by  a  vast  multitude,  occupying  every  available  position 
from  which  a  view  could  be  obtaiued,  and  showing 
by  their  saddened  aspect  how  deeply  the  hearts  of 
the  people  had  been  touched.  One  of  the  most 
remarkable  features  in  that  crowd  was  the  large  pro- 
portion of  working  men  and  of  the  poor,  who  came  to 
pay  honour  to  the  memory  of  him  who  had  laboured 
so  earnestly  for  their  good.  More  than  one  touching 
testimony  was  audibly  expressed  by  these  onlookers 
to  the  benefit  they  had  received  from  him.     '■  There 


398 


LIFE  OF  NORMAN  MACLEOD. 


goes  Norman  Macleod,'  a  brawny  working  man  was 
heard  saying,  as  the  dark  column  moved  past ;  '  if  he 
had  done  no  more  than  what  he  did  for  my  soul,  ho 
would  shine  as  the  stars  for  ever.' 

As  the  funeral  approached  Campsie,  it  was  not  only 
met  by  many  friends,  but  as  business  had  been  for, 
the  time  suspended  in  the  town,  and  the  shops  closed, 
the  entire  population  united  in  paying  respect  to  the 


honoured  dead,  whose  ashes  were  to  rest  in  the  old 
parish  where  his  early  life  had  been  spent. 

He  was  laid  beside  his  father,  and  as  the  grave 
which  was  prepared  for  him  was  discovered,  unex- 
pectedly, to  be  that  of  James,  the  two  brothers,  whose 
lives  had  been  linked  by  the  holiest  of  all  ties,  were 
thus  united  in  their  last  resting-place. 

Ere  the  coffin  was  lowered,  three  wreaths  of  Immor- 
telles were  placed  upon  it.     The  fii'st  bore  the  inscrip- 


THE  FUNERAL.  399 

tion,  '  A  token  of  respect  and  friendship  from  Queen 
Victoria ; '  the  second,  '  A  token  of  respect  from 
Prince  Leopold,'  and  the  thii'd,  'A  token  of  respect 
from  Princess  Beatrice.' 

The  spot  where  he  sleeps  is  a  suggestive  emblem  of 
his  life.  On  the  one  side  are  the  hum  of  business  and 
the  houses  of  toiling  humanity.  On  the  other,  green 
pastoral  hills,  and  the  silence  of  Highland  solitudes. 
More  than  one  eye  rested  that  day  on  the  sunny  slope 
where  he  had  so  lately  dreamt  of  building  a  home  for 
his  old  age — more  than  one  heart  thanked  God  for  the 
more  glorious  mansion  into  which  he  had  entered. 


APPENDIX. 


A. 

Address  presented  before  landing  at  Bombay. 

To  The  Revehend  Norman  Macleod,  D.D. 

♦*  Steamship  Rangoon, 

"  25th  Nov.,  1867. 
"Reverend  and  Dear  Sir, 

"  We,  the  Captain,  Officers,  and  Passengers  on  board  the 
steamship  Rmujoon,  cannot  bid  you  adieu  without  expressing  our 
grateful  sense  of  the  peculiar  privilege  we  have  enjoyed  in  your 
society  and  your  ministrations. 

"  As  being  all  of  us  connected  with  India,  we  cannot  but  feel 
an. I  believe  that  the  visit  to  that  country  of  one  who  exercises  so 
great  and  beneficial  an  influence  on  public  opinion  at  home  must 
be  productive  of  the  greatest  benefit. 

"  We  all  most  sincerely  unite  in  wishing  you  and  your  colleague 
Dr.  Watson  a  prosperous  journey,  and  a  safe  and  happy  return  to 
your  country  and  families. 

"  We  beg  to  remain, 

"  Reverend  and  dear  Sir, 

"  Yours  gratefully  and  aflfectionately, 


(Signed) 


"D.  RoNALDSON,  Captain. 

"  Campbell  Keir,  Solicitor. 

«'G.  A.  Leckie,  Col.,  B.  Staff  Corps. 

*'  George  Campbell,  Commissioner  at  Nagpore. 

"  W.  D.  Robertson,  C.S.,  Bombay. 

**  M.  Mull,  F.  of  India  Newspaper. 

"A.  A.  MuNRo,  Major,  Bengal  Army. 

"  John  M.  Champion,  Major,  R.E. 

"  J.  H.  B.  Hallen,  B.  Army,  Inspector  of  Garrisons. 

"  Wm.  Thorn,  M.D.,  B.  Army. 

*'  John  D.  Fuller,  Lieut.-Col.,  R.E. 


APPENDIX. 


401 


VOL.    II, 


"A.  E.  Haighly,  B.A.  Revenue  Survey. 

"  H.  E.  Bright,  Esq.,  or  Ensign, 

*'  Thomas  D.  Rogees. 

"James  Sheldon. 

"Jessie  M'Culloch. 

**  Frances  Marriott. 

"Anna  M.  Lynch. 

"  S.  M'CuLLOCH,  Barrister. 

"  George  Birdwood,  M.D. 

"  Arthur  Phelps,  Capt.,  B.  Staff  Corps, 

"  M.  Edwards,  Ben.  C.S. 

"  Helena  Sorter. 

"F.  J.  Oliphant. 

"  J.  H.  Champion,  Lieut-Col. 

"  Fredk.  Jas.  Parsons,  B.  Staff.  Corps, 

"  Maria  Berthon. 

"  Charlotte  Webb. 

"  Jeanie  Cameron. 

"  Alice  Thomas. 

"  R.  A.  Elphinstone,  Major,  B.  Staff.  Corps. 

"  John  Wm.  Yorke  Fishbourne,  M.D, 

"  William  F.  Best. 

"  Diana  J.  Walton. 

"  G.  Boileau  Reid,  B.C.S. 

"  Mary  S.  Walker. 

"J.  W.  Sanderson. 

"M.  J.  O'Kearny. 

**  Wm.  Morland. 

"Art.  Richmond,  Assist.  Surg. 

"  Wm.  Fuller,  Col.,  R.H.A. 

"M.  A.  Tapp. 

"  E.  Edwards. 

"J.  D.  Williams. 

"  H.  A.  Williams,  Col.,  R.S. 

"G.  E.  Thomas,  B.  Staff  Corps. 

"  Walter  Pains. 

"  George  S.  Lynch,  Solicitor. 

"  W.    PORTEOUS,  C.S. 

"F.  Stanger  Leathes,  Solicitor. 
"Wm.  M.  Leckie,  Lieut-Col.,  B.N.L 
"J.  Bayley,  Capt.,  7th  Hussars. 
"J.  M.  G.  Bayley. 
"A.  Y.  EIennedy. 

D  J> 


401 


APPENDIX. 


M.  A.  Elphinstone. 

*  J.  A.  Slater. 

'  Agnes  J.  Hill. 

*  RoBT.  Brown,  C.E. 
'Janet  V.  Munro. 

*  W.  S.  C.  LocKHART,  Bengal  Cavalry, 
'  C.  A.  Heller. 

'  C.  L.  D.  Newmarch,  Col.,  Bengal  E. 

*A.  W.  Newmarch. 

'  Wm.  Clonstar,  Civil  Engineer. 

*  George  Arbutunot,  Capt.,  and  A.D.C, 
*L.  B.  Hallett,  Capt.,  B.  Staff  Corps. 

*  W.  S.  Hallett. 

*  Wm.  B.  Preston,  Capt,,  B.  Staff  Corps. 
'  Tho.  Ed.  Rodger. 

*  Emily  J,  Thorn. 

*  George  M.  Huckebert 

*  Stephen  H.  M'Thirne,  C.S. 
'  J.  Ireland. 

'  St.  Clair  Ireland. 

'T.  S.  Ireland. 

'  James  W.  Noble,  P.  and  0.  Co. 

'  Charles  Turner. 

*  W.  Birthon,  Major,  Staff  Coi'ps, 

*  Afleck  Moodie,  Barrister. 
'  Annie  Best. 

*  Georgina  a.  Taylor, 

*  Henry  S.  Kinncard. 

'  J.  L.  Johnston,  C.E. 
'  J.  Jackson. 

R.  T.  Hare,  Capt. 
'  G.  A.  Hare. 

*  A.  C.  Howden,  Civil  Engineer, 
•Mrs.  A.  C.  Howden." 


B. 


Cojyy  of  Medical  Certificate, 

**  CERTrFiED  that  we  have  carefully  examined  into  tho  state  of  health 
of  the  Rev.  Norman  Macleod,  D.D.,  and  we  are  unanimously  of 


APPENDIX.  403 

opinion,  that  it  would  be  attended  with  danger  to  his  life,  should 
he  persist  in  his  intention  of  continuing  his  tour  to  Sealkote. 

"  We  consider  that  he  ought  to  leave  India  at  the  latest  on  the 
8rd  March,  and  till  then,  we  believe  that  he  may  with  safety  visit 
any  stations  which  can  be  reached  by  rail. 

(Signed) 

"J.  Fakquhar,  M.D. 

Sur(jeon  to  Viceroy. 
"  J.  Fayer,  M.D. 
"J.  Edmonston  Charles,  M.D., 

M.R.C.P.  Lond.,  Art.  Obstet.  Prof. 
«*  Calcutta,  Qth  February,  1868. 


c. 

Extract  from  Address  on  Missions. 

".  .  .  .  What,  then,  it  may  be  asked,  have  missions  done 
generally  for  India  ?  What  measure  of  success  have  they  had, 
or  are  they  likely  to  have  ?  Or  such  questions  may  be  summed 
up  in  the  more  general  and  inclusive  one,  What  is  the  state  and 
what  are  the  prospects  of  Christianity  in  India  ? 
^  "  In  attempting,  in  the  most  general  manner,  to  deal  with  ques- 
tions which  demand  volumes  instead  of  a  speech,  however  long, 
to  reply  to  them,  I  shall  assume  for  the  moment  that  I  am 
addressing  here,  or  through  the  reporters,  those  only  who  have  not 
thought  or  inquired  much  on  the  subject. 

"  Recollect,  then,  that  we  are  speaking  of  a  country  of  enormous 
extent,  with  a  population  of  at  least  180,000,000,  the  Bengal 
Presi  lency  alone  numbering  more  than  the  whole  empire  *of 
Austria— that  this  great  country  is  occupied  by  various  races  from 
the  most  savage  to  the  most  cultivated,  having  various  religious 
beliefs,  and  speaking  languages  which  differ  from  each  other  as 
much  as  Gaelic  does  from  Italian,  most  of  them  broken  up  by 
dialects  so  numerous  as  practically  to  form  probably  twenty 
separate  languages.  Remember  that  the  vast  majority  of  this 
people  have  inherited  a  religion  and  a  civilisation,  of  which  I  shall 
have  to  speak  afterwards,  from  a  vast  antiquity.  Recollect, 
further,  that  the  attempt  to  impart  the  truth  and  life  of  Chris- 
tianity to  this  great  mass  has  been  systematically  begun  by  the 
Protestant  Church  in  British  India  within  the  memory  of  living 
men ;  so  that  the  age  of  our  Scottish  missions  is  represented  by 

D   D  2 


404  APPENDIX. 

Dr.  Duff,  who  commenced  them,  and  still  lives  to  aid  them  in  con- 
nection with  the  Free  Church.  Realise,  if  you  can,  the  difficulties 
which  the  missionaries  engaged  in  such  a  tremendous  enterprise 
have  had  to  overcome  in  the  ignorance  and  indifference,  even  the 
opposition,  of  professing  Chrstians  at  home,  and  of  timid  European 
otiicials  abroad  ;  their  want,  for  a  time,  of  the  very  tools  and  in- 
sti'umeuts  with  which  to  conduct  their  operations  ;  their  ignorance 
of  the  language,  of  the  religious  systems,  of  the  mental  habits  and 
national  idiosyncrasies  of  the  people;  their  want  of  a  Bible  which 
could  be  used,  and  of  an  educated  people  who  could  read  it,  and 
of  any  Christian  natives  able  and  willing  to  interpret  it  to  their 
countrymen.  Remember,  finally,  the  agencies  which  are  at 
present  labouring  in  India  before  asking  the  question  as  to  results. 
There  are  in  Indin,  say,  in  round  numbers,  five  hundred  European 
and  Amei'ican  missionaries.  You  will  notice  that  the  members  of 
this  General  Assembly,  with  those  of  the  Assembly  of  the  Free 
Church  meeting  in  our  immediate  neighbourhood,  number  more 
than  the  whole  mission  staff  in  British  India.  Yet  these  Assem- 
blies represent  two  churches  only  in  all  Scotland  ;  while  all  Scot- 
land's inhabitants  would  hardly  be  missed  out  of  one  district  of 
Bengal  alone  !  Or,  let  us  put  the  proportion  of  missionaries  to 
the  population  in  another  way  :  There  are  in  England  and  Scot- 
land about  3G,000  ordained  Protestant  clergy  of  every  denomina- 
tion, supported  at  a  cost  of  several  millions  annually.  These 
clergy  have,  moreover,  connected  with  them  a  vast  agency, 
amounting  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Sunday-school  teachers, 
local  missionaries,  Scripture  readers,  elders,  and  deacons,  teachers 
of  Christian  schools,  and  pious  members  of  churches,  who  are 
engaged  in  diffusing  a  knowledge  of  Christianity,  and  in  dispensing 
its  practical  blessings  in  ways  and  forms  innumerable.  Now,  sup- 
pose all  this  great  agi  ncy  taken  across  the  ocean  and  located  in 
the  Presidency  of  Bengal  alone,  leaving  all  the  rest  of  India  as  it 
is,  giving  not  one  missionary  to  the  Presidency  of  Madras  with  a 
population  of  twenty-two  millions  ;  none  to  Bombay  or  Sciudh 
with  twelve  millions;  none  to  the  North- West  Province;  with 
thirty  millions  ;  none  to  the  Punjab  with  fourteen  millions  ;  none 
to  Oudh  with  eight  millions  ;  none  to  the  Central  Provinces  with 
six  millions  ;  none  to  other  districts  with  five  millions — but  giving 
all  to  Bengal,  and  confining  their  ministrations  there  to  a  popula- 
tion equal  to  that  wliich  they  left  behind  in  all  England  and  Scot- 
land, there  would  still  remain  in  that  Presidency  a  surplus  popu' 
lation  of  fourteen  viillio)is  tcithont  a  simjh  missionanj '.  Without 
presuming  to  solve  the  problem  when  that  blessed  period  is  to 


APPENDIX.  405 

arrive  in  which,  having  no  more  to  do  at  home,  we  may  be  set 
free  to  do  more  for  India,  I  wish  you  at  present  to  understand 
what  is  being  done  by  us,  aloncj  with  ether  countries,  for  the  dif- 
fusion of  Christianity  in  the  Eastern,  as  compared  with  this,  the 
Northern,  portion  of  our  great  empire.  Now,  assuming  as  I  do 
that  the  missionaries  abroad  are  equal  to  our  missionaries — or, 
what  is  the  same  thing,  our  ministers  at  home — yet,  deducting 
from  their  small  band  of  five  hundred  men  those  who  are  advanced 
in  years,  and  whose  day  is  well-nigh  done — those  who  are  young 
and  inexperienced,  and  whose  day  is  hardly  begun — those  who 
have  not  the  gifts,  or  the  knowledge,  or  the  mental  habits,  or  the 
spiritual  power  which  is  required  for  thoroughly  effective  work — 
and  deducting  also,  as  I  presume  we  must  do,  a  few  who  are  un- 
fit from  other  causes,  such  as  sloth  or  mere  professionalism,  then 
we  necessarily  reduce  the  number  of  such  men  as  are  able  to  cope 
with  the  gigantic  evils  and  errors  of  India — men  able  by  the  power 
of  their  teaching  and  of  their  character  to  impress  the  observant  and 
thinking  natives  with  a  sense  of  the  truth  and  glory  of  Chris- 
tianity. In  regard,  however,  to  the  moral  character  of  all  those 
missionaries,  I  rejoice  to  say  that  our  information,  derived  from 
every  quarter,  fully  reahsed  our  hopes  that  they  were  worthy  of 
the  Churches  which  had  sent  them  forLh.  Hindoos  and  Christians, 
natives  and  Europeans  of  every  rank  and  class,  were  unanimous  in 
their  hearty  testimony  upon  this  point,  and  fully  appreciated  the 
unselfishness  of  their  motives,  the  sincerity  of  their  convictions, 
their  intimate  knowledge  of  and  interest  in  the  natives,  and  the 
wholesomeness  of  their  influence  upon  the  whole  body  of  Indian 
society.  Among  these  missionaries,  too,  there  are  some  every- 
where who,  as  regards  mental  power,  learning,  and  earnestness, 
would  do  honour  to  any  Church,  and  who  have  largely  contributed 
to  advance  the  interests  of  social  science.  Oriental  literature  and 
history,  as  well  as  of  Christianity,  and  who  have  a  right  to  deepest 
respect,  sympathy,  and  gratitude  from  all  who  have  at  heart  the 
conversion  of  India.  It  is  gratifying  and  assuring  to  know,  also, 
that  the  number  of  missionaries  and  of  their  stations  is  steadily 
on  the  increase,  while  conversions  increase  in  a  still  greater  ratio. 

"I  have  not,  of  course,  spoken  here  of  the  labours  or  influence 
of  chaplains  with  reference  to  missions.  In  numerous  instances 
these  have  been  very  effective,  but  the}'^  might  be  greater  in  many 
more.  Nor  have  I  alluded  to  the  English  bishops,  who,  as  a  rule, 
liave  been,  as  gentlemen  of  learning  and  highest  character,  an 
honour  to  the  Church  and  to  Christianity. 

"  But  we  have  been  taking  into  our  calculation  the  difficulties  only 


4o6  APPENDIX. 

on  onr  own  side,  so  to  speak,  in  the  "way  of  imparting  knowledge 
to  the  natives  of  India.  Ought  we  not  also  to  consider  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  other  side  in  receiving  our  message  ?  Of  these,  as 
peculiar  to  Hindoos,  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  afterwards ; 
but  here  I  would  have  you  remember  that,  in  addition  to  the  diffi- 
culties common  to  inert,  slothful,  prejudiced,  and  self-satisfied 
people  in  every  part  of  the  world, — in  Christendom  as  well  as 
heathendom, — to  change  any  opinion,  however  erroneous  or  inde- 
fensible, or  any  habit,  however  foolish  or  absurd,  the  natives  of 
India  generally,  among  other  hindrances,  have  presented  to  them 
for  their  acceptance  a  religion  wholly  different  in  ]dnd  from  all 
they  or  their  fathers  ever  heard  of  or  believed  in.  It  therefore 
demands  time,  intelligence,  and  patience  to  examine  and  under- 
stand it  even  when  preached  to  them.  It  is  a  religion,  moreover, 
which  they  have  never  seen  adequately  embodied  or  expressed  in 
its  social  aspects,  whether  of  the  Church  or  the  family,  but  only 
as  a  creed;  and  this,  too,  of  a  strange  people,  whom,  as  a  rule, 
they  dislike,  as  being  alien  to  them  in  language,  in  race,  in  feel- 
ings, and  manners,  and  who  have  conquered  and  revolutionised 
their  country  by  acts,  as  they  think,  of  cruelty,  injustice,  and 
avarice. 

"  But  let  us  suppose  that  the  intelligent  and  educated  Hindoo  has 
been  convinced  by  English  education  of  the  falsehood  of  his  own 
religion.  I  beg  of  you  to  realise  and  to  sympathize  with  hisS  diffi- 
culties of  another  kind,  when  Christianity,  as  the  only  true  religion, 
is  presented  to  him  for  his  acceptance.  He  has  brought  his  Brah- 
minical  creed  and  practices,  we  shall  assume,  under  the  light  of 
reason,  conscience,  and  science,  for  their  judgment,  and  he  has 
had  pronounced  upon  them  the  sentence  of  condemnation.  He 
has  discovered  that  he  has  hitherto  believed  a  lie,  and  been  the 
slave  of  a  degrading  or  childish  superstidon.  But  must  he  not 
subject  this  new  religion  of  Christianity,  with  its  sacred  books,  to 
the  same  scrutiny,  and  judge  of  them  by  the  same  light '?  Up- 
questionably  he  must ;  and  so  far  a  great  point  is  gained,  and  one 
most  hopeful  to  the  accomphshed  and  earnest  missionary,  Avhen 
his  teaching  is  examined  honestly  and  sincerely  in  the  light  of 
truth,  instead  of  being  judged  by  the  mere  authority  of  custom  or 
tradition.  But  such  an  investigation  necessarily  implies  a  tri;'l  of 
the  severest  and  yet  of  the  noblest  kind,  both  to  the  inquirer  and 
his  teacher.  And  we  need  not  be  surprised  if  the  first  and  most 
general,  indeed,  I  might  say,  the  universal,  result  of  this  scrutiny 
on  the  part  of  the  Hindoo,  should  bo  the  impression  that  Chris- 
tianity, us   a   religion  whose  characteristic  and  essential    doctrines 


APPENDIX.  407 

are  alleged  facts,  is  but  another  form  of  superstition,  with  false 
miracles,  false  science,  and  false  everything,  which  professes  to 
belong  to  the  region  of  the  supernatural.  These  difficulties  are 
moreover  increased  and  intensified  by  those  schools  of  thought 
which  at  present,  and  as  a  reaction  from  the  past,  exercise  such 
an  influence  in  Europe  and  America.  Their  views  and  opinions 
are  in  every  possible  form  reproduced  in  India,  and  take  root  the 
more  readily,  owing  to  the  remarkable  inability  of  the  Hindoo 
mind,  whatever  be  its  cause,  to  weigh  historical  evidence,  and  to 
appreciate  the  value  of  facts  in  their  bearing  on  the  grounds  of 
religious  belief. 

"If  to  this  is  added  the  manner  in  which  Christianity,  even  as  a 
creed,  has  sometimes,  we  fear,  by  truly  Christian  men,  been  repre- 
sented, or  rather  misrepresented — with  its  doctrines,  if  not  falsely 
put,  yet  sometimes  put  in  a  harsh,  distorted,  one-sided,  or  exag- 
gerated light,  proclaimed  with  little  love,  and  defended  with  less 
logic — we  shall  be  the  more  prepared  to  weigh  the  results  of  Chris- 
tian missions  with  some  approximation  to  the  truth. 

"  In  so  far  as  the  results  of  missions  in  India  can  be  given  by 
mere  statistics,  these  have  been  collected  with  remarkable  care, 
and  published  in  1864  by  Dr.  Mullens,  himself  an  able  and  dis- 
tinguished missionary.  From  these  we  gather  that  there  are  in 
round  numbers  about  140,000  natives  in  Hindostan  professing 
Christianity ;  28,000  in  communion  ;  with  upwards  of  900  native 
churches,  which  contribute  £10,000  annually  for  the  support  of 
the  Gospel.  About  100  natives  have  been  ordained  to  the 
ministry,  while  1,300  labour  as  catechists.  Upwards  of  33.000 
boys  and  8,000  girls  receive  a  Christian  education  at  mission 
schools.  As  a  means  as  well  as  a  result  of  mission  work,  I  may 
state  that  the  whole  Bible  has  been  translated  into  fourteen  of  the 
languages  of  India,  including  all  the  principal  tongues  of  tlie 
empire  ;  the  New  Testament  into  five  more  ;  and  twenty  separate 
books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  into  seven  more.  Thrso 
mission  agencies  are  scattered  over  all  India,  and  shine  as  sources 
of  intellectual,  moral,  and  Christian  light  amidst  the  surrounding 
darkness  of  heathenism.  Now,  surely  some  good  and  lasting  work 
has  been  thus  done,  and  seed  sown  by  these  means,  which  may  yet 
spring  up  in  the  hearts  of  men. 

"  But  I  will  by  no  means  peril  the  results  of  missions  on  any 
mere  statistics.  Not  that  I  have  any  doubt  as  to  the  care  and 
honesty  with  which  these  have  been  furnished  or  collected,  but 
because  of  the  impossibility  of  obtaining  by  this  method  a  just 
impression  of  what  has  been  actually  accomplished  by  Christian 


4o8  APPENDIX. 

missions.  To  some  they  would  seem  to  prove  too  much,  tinless 
the  races,  the  districts,  the  beliefs  out  of  which  fiie  conversions 
have  come  are  taken  into  account,  along  with  the  intelligence  and 
character  of  the  converts.  To  most  they  might  prove  less  than 
they  are  capable  of  proving,  as  they  afford  no  evidence  of  the 
indirect  results  of  missions,  or  of  what  is  being  more  and  more 
eifected  by  them  on  the  whole  tone  and  spirit  of  Hindoo  society, 
as  preparatory  to  deeper  and  more  extensive  ultimate  results. 
Nevertheless,  the  more  the  real  value  of  the  work  which  has  been 
accomplished  is  judged  of  by  the  individual  history  of  those  re- 
turned as  converts,  making  every  deduction  which  can  with  fair- 
ness be  demanded  for  want  of  knowledge,  want  of  moral  strength, 
or  want  of  influence,  there  yet  remains  such  a  number  of  native 
converts  of  intelligence  and  thorough  sincerity,  such  a  number  of 
native  Christian  clergy  of  acquirements,  mental  power,  and  elo- 
quence, and  of  strength  of  convictions  and  practical  piety,  as  com- 
mands the  respect  of  even  educated  and  high-caste  Hindoos.  Such 
facts  disprove,  at  least,  the  bold  assertions  of  those  who  allege  that 
missions  have  done  nothing  in  India.  One  fact,  most  creditable 
to  native  Christians,  oui^ht  not  to  be  forgotten  by  us — that  of  the 
two  thousand  involved  in  the  troubles  of  the  Mutiny,  all  proved 
loyal,  six  only  apostatised,  and  even  they  afterwards  returned. 

"  But  in  estimating  the  present  condition  of  India  with  reference 
to  the  probable  overthrow  of  its  false  religions,  and  the  substitu- 
tion for  them  of  a  living  Christianity,  we  must  look  at  India  as  a 
whole.  Now,  we  are  all  aware  of  the  vast  changes  which  have 
taken  place  during  a  comparatively  recent  period  in  most  of  those 
customs,  which,  though  strictly  religious  according  to  the  views  of 
the  Brahmans,  are  now  prohibited  by  law,  and  have  parsed,  or 
are  rapidly  passing,  away  in  practice — such  as  Suttee,  infanticide, 
the  self-tortures  and  deaths  of  fanatics  at  great  idol-festivals,  &c. 
We  know,  too,  of  other  reforms  which  must  be  in  the  end  success- 
ful, such  as  those  affecting  the  marriage  of  widows,  polygamy,  the 
education  of  females,  &c.  Such  facts  indicate  great  changes  in 
public  opinion,  and  that  the  tide  of  thought  has  turned,  and  is 
slowly  but  surely  rising,  soon  to  float  off  or  immerse  all  the  idols 
of  India.  In  truth,  the  whole  intelligent  and  informed  mind  of 
India,  native  and  European,  is  convinced,  and  multitudes  within  a 
wider  circle  more  than  suspect,  that,  come  what  may  in  its  place, 
idolatry  is  doomed.  The  poor  and  ignorant  millions  will  be  the 
last  to  perceive  any  such  revolution.  They  will  continue  to  visit 
and  bathe  in  their  old  muddy  stream,  as  their  ancestors  have  done 
daring  vast  ages,  wondering  at  first  why  those  whom  they  have 


APPENDIX.  409 

been  taught  to  follow  as  tbcir  religious  guides  have  left  its  hanks, 
and  drink  no  more  of  its  waters,  wondering  most  of  all  when  at 
last  they  discover  these  waters  to  be  dried  up.  Others  of  a  higher 
intelligence  may  endeavour  for  a  while  to  purify  them,  or  to  give 
a  symbolic  and  spiritual  meaning  to  the  very  mud  and  filth  which 
cannot  be  separated  from  them.  Men  of  greater  learning  and  finer 
spiritual  mould  will  seek  to  drink  from  those  purer  fountains  that 
bubble  up  in  the  distant  heights  of  their  own  Vedas,  at  the  water- 
shed of  so  many  holy  streams,  and  ere  these  have  become  contami- 
nated with  the  more  earthy  mixtures  of  the  lower  valleys.  But  all 
are  doomed.  For  neither  the  filthy  and  symbolic  stream  of  the 
Puranas,  nor  the  purer  fountain  of  the  Vedas  alone,  can  satisfy 
the  thirst  of  the  heart  of  man,  more  especially  when  it  has  once 
tasted  the  waters  of  life  as  brought  to  us  by  Jesus  Christ :  or,  to 
change  the  simile,  although  the  transition  between  the  old  and 
new  may  be  a  wide  expanse  of  desert  filled  up  with  strange 
mirages,  fantastic  forms,  and  barren  wastes,  yet  whether  this 
generation  or  another  may  reach  the  Land  of  Promise  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey,  the  people  must  now  leave  Egypt  with  its  idols, 
and  in  spite  of  murmurings,  regrets,  and  rebellions,  can  return  to 
it  no  more. 

"  When  I  thus  speak  of  the  destruction  of  Hindooism,  I  am  far 
from  attributing  this  result  solely  to  the  efforts  of  missionaries, 
though  these  have  not  only  taken  a  most  worthy  share  in  the 
work  of  destruction,  but  have  also  laboured  at  the  more  difficult 
and  more  important  work  of  construction.  The  whole  varied  and 
combined  forces  of  Western  civilisation  must  be  taken  into  account. 
The  indomitable  power  of  England,  with  the  extension  of  its 
government  and  the  justice  of  its  administration,  has,  in  spite  of 
every  drawback  that  can  be  charged  against  it,  largely  contributed 
to  this  result.  So  also,  in  their  own  way,  have  railroads  and  tele- 
graphs, helping  to  unite  even  outwardly  the  people  and  the  several 
parts  of  India  to  each  other,  and  all  to  Europe.  The  light  which 
has  been  shed  by  the  Oriental  scholars  of  Europe  upon  the  sacred 
books  and  ancient  literature  of  the  Hindoos,  has  been  an  incal- 
culable advantage  to  the  missionary,  and  to  all  who  wish  to 
understand  and  to  instruct  the  people  of  India.  But  nothing  has 
BO  directly  and  rapidly  told  upon  their  intellectual  and  moral  history 
as  the  eduLjation  which  they  owe  solely  to  European  wisdom  and 
energy.  The  wave-line  which  marks  its  flow,  marks  also  the  ebb 
of  idolatry.  This  influence  will  be  more  easily  appi-eciated  when 
it  is  remembered  that  3,089,000  Hindoos  and  about  90,000  Mo- 
hammedans attend  Government  schools,  and  upwards  of  40,000 


410  APPENDIX. 

of  these  attend  schools  which  educate  up  to  a  University  entrnnce 
standard,  in  which  English  is  a  branch  of  examination.  These 
schools  have  been  found  fault  with  because  they  do  not  directly 
teach  religion.  It  has  been  said  that  they  practically  make  all 
their  pupils  mere  Deists.  But  apart  from  the  dilhcultics  which 
attend  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  Government  to  do  more,  even 
were  it  to  assume  the  grave  responsibility  of  determining  what 
system  of  theology  should  be  taught,  and  of  selecting  the  men  to 
teach  it,  yet  surely  Deism  is  a  great  advance  on  Hindooism.  If  a 
man  occupies  a  position  half-way  between  the  valley  and  the 
mountain-top,  that  alone  cannot  determine  whether  he  is  ascend- 
ing or  descending.  We  must  know  the  point  from  which  he  has 
started  on  his  journey.  Thus  departing  from  the  low  level  of  the 
Puranas,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  Hindoo  pupil  who  has  reached 
the  Theism  of  even  the  Vedas  only,  has  ascended  towards  the  purer 
and  far-seeing  heights  of  Christian  revelation.  Anyhow,  the  fact 
is  certain,  whatever  be  the  ultimate  results,  that  education  itself, 
which  opens  up  a  new  world  to  the  native  eye,  has  destroyed  his 
old  world  as  a  system  of  religious  belief. 

'*  I  know  few  things,  indeed,  which  strike  one  more  w^ho  for  the 
first  time  comes  into  contact  with  an  educated  native,  than  hearing 
him  converse  in  the  purest  English  on  subjects  and  in  a  manner 
which  are  associated,  not  with  oriental  dress  and  features,  but 
with  all  that  is  cultivated  and  refined  at  home.  You  feel  at  once 
that  hero  at  least  is  a  way  opened  up  for  communication  by  the 
mighty  power  of  a  common  language,  and  of  a  mind  so  trained 
and  taught  as  to  be  able  thoroughly  to  comprehend  and  discuss  all 
we  wish  to  teach  or  explain.  The  traveller  sometimes  accidentally 
meets  with  other  evidences  of  the  silent  but  efi'ective  influences  of 
English  education.  I  remember,  for  example,  visiting  with  my 
friend  a  heathen  temple  in  Southern  India.  It  was  a  great  day, 
on  which  festive  crowds  had  assembled  to  do  honour  to  a  famous 
Guru.  There  were  some  thousands  within  and  without  the  temple. 
While  seeking  to  obtain  an  entrance,  we  were  surrounded  by  an 
eager  and  inquisitive  crowd,  but  civil  and  courteous,  as  we  ever 
found  the  natives  to  be.  Soon  we  were  addressed  in  good  English 
by  a  native,  and  then  by  about  a  dozen  more  who  were  taking 
part  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  place.  After  some  conversation  I 
asked  them,  the  crowd  beyond  this  inner  circle  listening  to  but  not 
comprehending  us,  whether  they  believed  in  all  this  idolatry  ? 
One,  speaking  for  the  rest,  said,  '  We  do.'  But  from  his  smile. 
and  knowing  the  effects  of  such  education  as  he  had  evidently 
acquired,  I  said  kindly  to  him,   '  My  friend,  I  candidly  tell  you 


APPENDIX.  411 

that  I  don't  think  you  believe  a  bit  of  it.'  He  laughed,  and  snid, 
'  You  are  right,  sir,  we  believe  nothing  !  '  *  What  ?  '  I  asked  ; 
'  nothing  ?  not  even  your  own  existence  ? '  *  Oh  yes,  we  bclievo 
that,'  he  repHed.  '  And  no  existence  higher  than  your  own  ?  '  I 
continued  to  inquire.  *  Yes,'  he  said,  '  we  beheve  in  a  great 
God  who  has  created  all  things.'  '  But  if  so,  why  then  this 
idolatry?'  I  asked  again.  'We  wish  to  honour  our  fathers,' 
said  another  of  the  group  to  my  question.  On  which  the  first 
speaker  addressed  his  countryman,  saying,  '  What  did  your  fathers 
ever  do  for  you  ?  Did  they  give  you  the  steam-engine,  or 
the  railway,  or  the  telegraph  ? '  Then  turning  to  me,  he  said, 
with  a  smile,  '  Though  we  must  keep  up  and  cannot  forsake 
these  national  customs  while  they  exist  in  our  country,  and  our 
people  believe  in  them,  yet,  if  you  educate  the  people  they  will 
give  them  up  of  themselves,  and  so  they  will  pass  away.'  What- 
ever may  have  been  the  intention  of  the  speaker,  I  believe  this 
conversation  gives  a  fair  impression,  not  of  the  deepest  and  most 
earnest  minds  in  Hindostan,  but  of  the  mind  of  tho  ordinary  pupil 
who  has  received  an  English  education,  though  little  more.  It  is 
thus,  however,  that  all  things  are  working  together  for  the  ultimate 
conversion  of  India  to  the  truth  and  life  of  Christianity  under 
Him  who  is  the  Head  of  all  things  to  His  Church. 

"  In  endeavouring  to  sketch,  however  rapidly  and  imperfectly,  the 
general  results  of  all  the  combined  forces  I  have  alluded  to,  I  must 
not  omit  to  notice  the  religious  school  of  the  Brahmo  Sonuij.  The 
educated  and  more  enlightened  Hindoos  occupy  almost  every 
position  of  religious  belief  between  that  of  a  little  less  than  pure 
Brahmanism  and  a  little  less  than  pure  Christianity.  Some  defend 
idolatry  as  being  a  mere  outward  symbolic  worship  of  the  one 
God  everywhere  the  same,  and  also  as  a  national  custom  ;  and, 
without  opposing  Christianity,  they  would  have  it  remain  as  one  of 
many  other  religions,  asking,  as  has  been  done  indignantly  and  in 
the  name  of  '  Christianity  which  preaches  love  to  one's  enemies,' 
'  Why  should  the  God  of  Jesus  Christ  be  at  daggers-drawing  with 
the  Gods  of  heathendom  ?  "  Others  are  more  enlightened  and 
more  sincere.  Of  these,  the  greatest  undoubtedly  wiis  the  late 
Rajah  Rammohun  Roy,  one  of  the  most  learned  and  accomplished 
men  in  India.  In  order  to  obtain  a  religion  at  once  true  and 
national,  he  fell  back  on  the  Vedas  as  embodying  a  pure  Mono- 
theism, rejecting  at  the  same  time  the  authority  of  all  later  Hindoo 
books,  however  venerable,  from  the  heroic  Mahabharat  and  Rama- 
yana  down  to  the  Puranas.  He  did  not,  however,  despise  or  reject 
the   New   Testament,  but  gathered  from   it   and   published  *  The 


412  APPENDIX. 

Precepts  of  Jesus  the  Guide  to  Happiness.'  He  called  his  Church, — • 
for  his  followers  were  organised  into  a  sociftty  which  met  for  wor- 
ship,— '  The  I5rahmo  '  (the  neuter  impersonal  name  for  the  supreme) 
'  Shabha,'  now  changed  into  '  Somaj,'  or  assembly.  The  posi- 
tion thus  occupied  by  the  Rajah  is  yet  to  a  large  extent  maintained 
by  the  representatives  of  the  old  Hindoo  Conservative  party, 
whether  their  Church  is  called  the  '  Yeda  Somaj,'  or  '  Prathana 
Somaj.'  But  the  Vedas  having  been  found  untenable  by  others, 
as  tending  necessarily  to  pure  Pantheism,  a  religious  system  with 
better  foundations  was  accordingly  sought  for,  and  afler  in  vain 
endeavouring  to  discover  it  in  '  Nature,'  or  to  evolve  it  from 
*  Intuition,'  the  new  movement  has,  under  the  guidance  of 
Keshub  Chunder  Sen,  approached  Christianity.  After  having 
heard  that  distinguished  man  preach,  and  having  seen  the  response 
given  to  his  teaching  by  his  splendid  audience,  numbering  the 
most  enlightened  natives  as  well  as  Europeans  in  Calcutta,  and 
after  having  had  a  very  pleasing  conversation  with  him,  I  cannot 
but  indulge  the  hope,  from  his  sincerity,  his  earnestness,  as  well 
as  from  his  logic,  that  in  the  end  he  will  be  led  to  accept  the 
whole  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  But  of  one  thing  I  feel  profoundly 
convinced,  that  the  Brahma  Somaj,  which  numbers  thousands  of 
adherents,  is  to  be  attributed  indirectly  to  the  teaching  and  labours 
of  Christian  missionaries  ;  and  its  existence,  in  spite  of  all  I  have 
read  and  heard  against  it,  brightens  my  hopes  of  India's  future. 

"  I  would  here  remind  you  of  facts  in  the  history  of  the 
Chui'ch  in  past  ages  as  worthy  of  being  remembered,  in  order  to 
modify  the  eager  desires  of  the  too  sanguine  as  to  immediate 
results,  and  to  cheer  the  hopes  of  the  too  desponding  as  to 
future  results,  as  "well  as  to  check  the  rash  conclusions  of  those 
"who,  arguing  from  the  past  history  of  a  few  years,  prophesy  no 
results  at  all  in  the  ages  to  come.  As  signs  of  the  progress  of 
that  religion  which,  through  the  seed  of  Abraham,  was  in  the  end 
to  bless,  and  is  now  blessing  all  nations,  what  conversions, 
let  me  ask,  were  made  from  the  days  of  Abraham  to  the  Exodus  ? 
How  many  during  the  long  night  in  Egypt  ?  Yet,  each  of  these 
intervals  represents  a  period  as  long  as  what  separates  us  from  the 
day  when  the  first  Englishman  visited  the  shores  of  India,  or 
when  the  Church  sprang  into  renewed  life  at  the  Reformation. 
What,  again,  of  results  during  the  brief  period,  yet  so  full  of 
teaching,  under  Moses,  accompanied  by  such  mighty  signs  and 
■wonders,  when  the  Church  was  in  the  wilderness  ?  Why,  on 
entering  the  land  of  promise,  two  men  only  represented  the  faith 
of  all  who  had  left  idolatrous  Egypt  ?     And  yet,  when  it  looked 


APPENDIX.  413 

as  if  all  was  lost,  God  spake  these  words,  *  As  truly  as  I  live, 
all  the  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord.'  Kecollect, 
too,  what  long  periods  of  confusion  and  darkness  followed  the 
settlement  of  the  tribes  in  Palestine.  The  experiment,  if  I  may 
60  call  it,  seemed  to  have  utterly  failed  of  educating  a  peculiar 
people,  and  so  preparing  it  for  the  ulterior  work  of  converting  the 
world.  That  chosen  race  ended  in  captivity  in  the  country  from 
whence  Abraham,  its  father,  began  in  faith,  his  journey  fourteen 
centuries  before.  Nevertheless,  that  race  did  its  work  at  last ! 
The  first  forms  of  its  religious  faith  yet  live,  being  cleansed  from 
all  idolatry  since  the  time  of  the  Captivity,  but  since  that  time 
only ;  and  Christianity,  as  its  flower  and  fruit,  lives,  and,  after 
marvellous  and  strange  vicissitudes,  is  grown  into  a  mighty  tree 
whose  leaves  are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations,  and  which  is 
destined  to  be  the  one  tree  of  life  for  the  whole  world.  And  so 
this  feature  in  history  constantly  repeats  itself — a  time  of  activity 
and  repose,  of  winter  und  summer,  of  sleep  and  waking,  of  death 
and  resurrection  ;  a  time  of  long  and  varied  preparations,  with  not 
unfrequently  very  rapid  fulfilments,  like  sudden  outbui'sts  of  a  long- 
seething  flood,  or  volcano  ;  while  these  fulfilments  become  again 
beginnings  of  a  new  and  as  varied  a  course  in  history,  ever  accu- 
mulating blessings  for  the  whole  family  of  man. 

"  Having  thus  spoken  generally  of  missions  in  India  and  their 
results,  I  must  proceed  more  particularly  to  the  consideration  of 
the  various  methods  adopted  by  missionaries  for  Christianising  the 
Hindoos. 

"  But,  before  we  can  reply  satisfactorily  to  the  question  regarding 
means,  we  must  first  have  a  still  cleai'er  apprehension  of  the  nature 
of  the  end  to  be  attained  by  them,  involving  some  knowledge  of 
the  Hindoo  religion  as  a  system  of  belief  and  of  social  life.  If  we 
do  so,  we  shall  soon  learn  that  we  cannot,  as  is  too  often  done, 
class  Hindoos  with  other  heathens  (whether  in  India  or  beyond 
its  shores),  nor  argue  from  what  has  been  done  by  this  or  that 
instrumentality  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  for  example,  or  in  Africa, 
Burmah,  or  even  Tinnevelly,  that  the  same  instrumentality  will 
necessarily  be  as  efi'ectual  in  Calcutta  or  Benares.  It  is  admitted, 
of  course,  that  among  all  races  and  in  all  countries  the  2'ntth,  as 
revealed  by  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  one  grand  means  of  Christian- 
ising them  ;  but  the  practical  question  before  us  is,  What  is  the 
best  way  of  communicating  this  truth  in  certain  given  circum- 
stances ?  Now,  to  obtain  the  true  answer  to  this  question 
necessitates  other  questions  regarding  the  character,  habits,  and 
beliefs  of  the  people  we  have  to  deal  with,  and  regarding  those 


414  APPENDIX. 

peculiar  circumstances,  within  and  without,  in  which  they  are 
placed,  which  must  materially  affect  their  reception  of  Christian 
doctrine  and  life. 

"  With  the  risk,  therefore,  of  repeating;  to  some  extent  what,  as 
bearing  on  other  parts  of  my  subject,  I  have  already  alluded  to, 
let  me  direct  your  attention  more  particularly  and  more  fully  than 
I  have  yet  done  to  some  of  those  characteristics  of  the  Hindoos 
which  distinguish  them  from  every  other  people  in  India  or  in  the 
world.  Observe,  in  the  first  place,  that  they  are  a  distinct  race. 
I  have  already  said  that  various  races  make  up  the  population  of  the 
great  continent  of  Hindostan.  The  Hindoo  belongs  to  that  Indo- 
Germanic  or  Aryan  stream  of  which  we  ourselves  are  a  branch,  and 
which  has  flowed  over  the  world.  It  entered  India  from  the  north- 
west, and  advanced,  during  long  ages  of  the  far  past,  towards  its 
southern  plains.  It  found  there  other  and  older  races,  who  either 
fled  to  the  mountains  and  jungles  to  maintain  their  freedom,  or 
were  conquered  and  degraded  into  8udras  or  Pariahs,  without 
caste  or  social  position.  These  Aryans,  like  a  lava  flood,  poured 
themselves  over  the  land,  breaking  through  the  older  formations, 
overlying  them  or  surrounding  them,  but  never  utterly  obliterating 
or  absorbing  them.  Now  it  is  not  with  those  aboriginal  races — 
who,  though  probably  once  possessing  a  higher  civilisation,  are 
now  comparative  savages,  and  have  religions  peculiar  to  them- 
selves, such  as  the  Bheels,  Khonds,  Santals,  Coles,  &c. — that  we 
have  at  present  to  do  ;  nor  yet  with  races  of  low  caste  or  no 
caste,  like  the  Shanars  of  Tinnevelly,  the  Mairs  of  Ahmednugger, 
or  the  lower  population  still  of  Chamba.  But  it  is  of  this  Hindoo 
race,  whose  religion  is  Brahmanism,  and  which,  above  all  others, 
constitute  llie  people  of  India,  numbering  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
millions  of  its  inhabitants — it  is  of  them  only  I  at  present  speak  ; 
for  if  they  were  Christianised,  India  practically  would  be  so,  but 
not  otherwise.  That  lofty,  unbending  portion  of  the  community, 
the  Mohammedan,  numbering  twenty  millions,  is  not  within  the 
scope  of  my  pi-esent  argument. 

"  Secondly,  we  must  not  forget  that  this  Hindoo  people  represent 
a  remarkable  civilisation,  which  they  have  inherited  from  a  time 
when  earth  was  young.  They  possess  a  language  (the  Sanscrit, 
the  uirliest  cultivated)  which  scholars  tell  us  is  the  fullest,  the 
most  fltxible  and  musical  in  existence,  to  which  Greek,  although 
its  child,  is  immensely  inferior;  which  is  capable,  as  no  other  is, 
of  expressing  the  subtlest  thoughts  of  the  metaphysician,  and  the 
most  shadowy  and  transient  gleams  of  the  poet.  In  that  language 
the  Hindoos  produced  a  heroic  and  philosophic  poetry,  centuries 


APPENDIX.  415 

before  the  Christian  era,  which  even  now  holds  a  foremost  place 
in  the  literature  of  the  world.  It  has  been  asserted — I  know 
not  on  what  authority — that  they  were  proficient  in  astronomy 
long  ere  its  very  name  was  mentioned  by  the  Greeks ;  and  that 
in  comparatively  recent  times  they  solved  problems  in  algebra 
which  not  until  centuries  afterwards  dawned  on  the  acutest  minds  of 
modern  Europe.  When  we  add  to  this  a  structure  of  society — to 
which  I  shall  immediately  allude — so  compact  as  to  have  held 
together  for  more  than  two  thousand  years,  we  must  feel  admira- 
tion, if  not  for  their  physical,  at  least  for  their  intellectual  powers, 
and  acknowledge  that  we  have  here  no  rude  or  savage  people, 
but  a  highly  cultivated  and  deeply  interesting  portion  of  the 
human  family. 

*'  Thirdly,  we  must  consider  the  religion  of  the  Hindoos,  both  as 
a  creed  and  as  a  social  system,  with  its  effects  on  their  general 
temperament  and  habits  of  life. 

"  The  Hindoo  religion,  like  Judaism  and  Chi'istianity,  is  one 
■which  has  survived  the  revolutions  of  long  ages.  The  religions 
of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  of  the  Egyptians,  Phoenicians,  and 
Assyrians,  with  many  others,  are  to  us  as  fossils  of  a  dead  world. 
Hindooism,  older  than  these,  still  exists  as  a  power  aflecting  the 
destinies  of  teeming  millions.  We  can  gaze  upon  it  as  a  living 
specimen  of  one  out  of  many  of  the  monster  forms  which  once 
inhabited  the  globe.  Unlike  all  those  extinct  religions,  it  has  its 
sacred  books,  and  I  doubt  not  that  to  this  written  word  it  greatly 
owes  its  preservation.  These  books  have  been  written  at  intervals 
representing  vast  periods  of  history.  The  Vedas,  at  once  the 
most  ancient  and  the  most  pure  and  lofty,  date  as  far  back, 
possibly,  as  the  time  of  Moses,  and  contain  many  true  and  sublime 
ideas  of  a  Divine  Being  without  any  trace  of  the  peculiarities  of 
Brahmanism — nay,  declaring  positively  that  '  there  is  no  distinction 
of  castes.'  The  great  collection  of  the  Puranas  was  compiled  in 
the  middle  ages  of  our  era,  and  forms  the  real  everyday  '  Bible ' 
of  the  everyday  religion  of  Hindoos,  the  Vedas  being  now  known 
to  and  read  by  only  a  few  learned  pundits,  and  having  from  the 
first  been  a  forbidden  book  to  all  except  the  priesthood.  Now, 
these  Puranas  are  one  mass  of  follies  and  immoralities,  of  dream- 
ing pantheism,  of  degrading  and  disgusting  idolatry. 

**  Mr.  Wheeler,  in  his  recently  imblished  volume,  the  first  of  his 
*  History  of  India,'  thus  writes  of  the  great  epics  of  Maha  Bharata, 
or  the  great  war  of  Bharata,  and  the  Ramayana,  or  '  Adventures 
of  Rama,'  with  their  present  influence  on  the  Hindoos.  It  is  his 
opinion,  I  may  state,  that  while  the  events  recorded  in  these  epics 


41 6  APPENDIX. 

belong  to  the  Vedic  period,  their  composition  belongs  to  the  Brah- 
maiiic  ago,  when  caste  was  introduced,  a  new  religion  established, 
and  the  Brahmans  had  formed  themselves  into  a  powerful  eccle- 
siastical hierarchy,  and  when,  instead  of  the  old  Vedic  gods  and 
forms  of  faith,  Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Siva  took  their  place.  These 
epics  are,  practically,  to  the  Hindoos,  religious  poems,  and  con- 
sequently are  the  most  powerful  and  popular  props  to  Brahman- 
ism.  *  Few  Hindoos,'  writes  Mr.  Wheeler,  '  may  perhaps  be 
acquainted  with  the  whole  of  these  epics,  and  none  have  ventured 
to  subject  them  to  a  critical  analysis  and  investigation  ;  yet  their 
influence  upon  the  masses  of  the  people  is  beyond  calculation,  and 
infinitely  greater  and  more  universal  than  the  influence  of  the 
Bible  over  modern  Europe.  The  leading  incidents  and  scenes  are 
familiar  to  the  Hindoos  from  childhood.  They  are  frequently 
represented  at  village  festivals,  whilst  the  stories  are  chanted  about 
at  almost  every  social  gathering,  and  indeed  form  the  leading  topic 
of  conversation  amongst  Hindoos  generally,  and  especially  amongst 
those  who  have  passed  the  meridian  of  life.  In  a  word,  these  poems 
are  to  the  Hindoos  all  that  the  Library,  the  Newspaper,  and  the 
Bible  are  to  the  European ;  whilst  the  books  themselves  are 
regarded  with  a  superstitious  reverence,  which  far  exceeds  that 
which  has  ever  been  accorded  to  any  other  revelation  real  or 
supposed.  To  this  day  it  is  the  common  belief  that  to  peruse  or 
merely  to  listen  to  the  perusal  of  the  Maha  Bhiirata  or  Ramayana, 
will  insure  prosperity  in  this  world  and  eternal  happiness  here- 
after.' Now,  making  every  allowance  for  (what  appears  to  me  to 
be)  the  exaggerated  terms  in  which  Mr.  Wheeler  describes  the 
comparative  influence  of  the  Bible  and  these  '  Scriptures,' 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that,  as  far  as  India  is  concerned,  he  is 
correct. 

*'  This  religion,  as  embodied  in  its  Sacred  Books,  affords  the 
widest  scope  for  the  indulgence  of  every  phase  of  human  thought, 
sentiment,  and  passion ;  furnishing  as  it  does  in  the  Vedic  hymns 
and  poetry  an  atmosphere  so  rare,  and  presenting  such  shadowy 
heights  of  speculation,  as  to  tempt  the  most  ambitious  wing  to  put 
forth  its  powers  to  gain  their  summits  ;  and  furnishing  in  the 
Puranas  the  vilest  mire,  where  the  filthiest  and  most  obscene  may 
wallow.  Among  its  disciples,  the  dreamy  ascetic,  labouring  to 
emancipate  his  spirit  by  pure  meditation  and  the  destruction  of  the 
material  flesh,  and  the  profound  scholar,  rare  though  he  be, 
nourishing  his  intellectual  life  by  the  abstract  themes  and  endless 
speculative  questions  suggested  by  his  creed,  may  meet  with  the 
disgusting  faqucer  or  yogi,  with  the  ignorant  millions  who  care  for 


APPENDIX.  4-1-7 

nothing  bnt  a  round  of  dead  superstitious  observances,  or  with  the 
cunning  or  depraved  crew  who  indulge  in  the  vilest  practices  as  the 
natural  results  of  their  heathen  principles, 

"  Lastly,  it  is  in  its  social  aspects,  as  already  hinted,  that 
Brahmanism  manifests  its  intense,  comprehensive,  and  tyrannous 
power.  Its  system  of  caste  presents  to  us  a  feature  in  the  organi- 
zation ©f  human  beings  unparalleled  in  history.  It  must  not  be 
mistaken  for  a  mere  aristocratic  arrangement,  as  accidental  to  or 
lying  outside  of  Brahmanism,  but  it  is  an  essential  element  of  its 
very  being.  It  is  quite  true,  as  I  have  said,  and  the  fact  is  of 
importance,  that  the  Vedas  know  nothing  of  it;  but  then  the 
people  know  not  the  Yedas,  and  those  who  do  conceal  or  pervert 
their  teaching.  According  to  the  existing  and,  as  long  as  Brah- 
manism lives,  unalterable  belief  of  the  people,  the  streams  of  caste, 
flowing  side  by  side  but  never  mingling,  are  traced  up  to  the  very 
fountain  of  Deity ;  or,  to  change  the  simile,  each  great  caste 
is  believed  to  be  a  development  of  the  very  body  of  Brahma  the 
Creator,  and  is  mystically  united  to  him  as  parts  of  his  very  flesh 
and  bones.  Hence  no  one  can  become  a  Hindoo  in  religion  who 
is  not  one  by  birth ;  nor  can  any  member  belonging  to  this  divine 
body  break  his  caste  without  thereby  becoming  dead,  as  a  limb 
amputated  from  living  communion  with  the  source  of  life,  and 
therefore  to  be  thrown  away  as  a  curse,  a  reproach — a  polluted, 
horrible  thing,  to  be  hated  and  disowned.  Marvellous,  indeed,  are 
the  power  and  endurance  of  such  an  organization  as  this,  that  can 
dominate  over  all  those  political  and  social  changes  which,  in  other 
respects,  alter  the  relative  position  of  its  possessors  as  to  wealth  or 
rank,  whether  in  the  army  or  in  the  civil  service. 

"  But  Brahmanism  does  more  than  make  each  man  a  member  of 
this  compact  mass.  Having  fixed  him  there,  it  holds  him  fast,  and 
governs  him  as  a  mere  thing  in  which  no  personality,  and  con- 
sequently no  will,  is  recognised,  save  that  measure  which  is 
required  to  consent  to  the  destruction  of  bis  being,  or  its  subordi- 
nation, at  least,  to  a  system  of  mechanical  rules  that  fashion  his 
whole  inward  and  outward  life.  As  far  almost  as  it  is  possible  to 
conceive,  that  life  is  in  everything  and  every  day  the  obedient  slave 
of  '  religion  ; '  not,  of  course,  in  the  sense  which  we  attach  to  the 
expression — that  of  all  things  being  done,  endured,  or  enjoyed  in  a 
right  spirit,  or  according  to  the  rule  of  eternal  righteousness 
towards  God  and  man — but  according  to  fixed  authoritative  rules, 
professing  to  embrace  the  whole  life,  obedience  to  which  is  as 
mechanical  as  can  be  yielded  by  a  human  being.  For  to  the 
religious  Hindoo  all  that  is  to  be  believed  and  done  on  earth  is 

VOL.  II,  E  E 


41 8  APPENDIX. 

revealed,  and  as  such  is  oLiigatory.  All  the  arts  and  sciences  ; 
the  methods  of  every  trade  ;  the  manifold  duties  incumbent  on  the 
architect,  the  mason,  the  carpenter,  or  the  musician,  and  on  the 
rueniber  of  the  family  or  community — what  ouyht  to  be  done  upon 
ordinary  days  and  on  holy  days  ;  in  youth,  in  manhood,  and  in  old 
age;  in  health  and  sickness,  and  in  the  hour  of  death;  and  what 
ought  to  be  done  for  those  who  are  dead.  Rules  are  prescribed  to 
him  as  a  sinner  or  a  saint,  in  joy  or  in  sorrow ;  directing  him  how 
to  act  towards  superiors,  inferiors,  and  equals  ;  towards  priests  and 
princes  ;  towards  all  men  on  earth,  and  towards  all  the  gods  on 
earth  and  in  the  heavens.  No  polype,  in  the  vast  gelatinous  mass 
which  contributes  to  the  building  up  of  a  great  island  from  the 
deep,  can  be  more  a  part  of  that  mysterious  whole  than  an  orthodox 
Hindoo  is  of  this  marvellous  religious  brotherhood.  His  indivi- 
duality is  lost.  His  conscience,  will,  and  affections  are  in  the 
strong  grasp  of  habits  and  customs  sanctioned  by  Divine  authority, 
consecrated  by  the  faith  of  his  race,  and  made  venerable  by  a 
hoary  antiquity.  And,  what  might  seem  very  strange  to  us  if  we 
could  not  point  to  parallel  phases  of  human  nature  within  even  the 
Church  of  Christ,  this  slavery  is  not  disliked  or  felt  to  be  a  heavy 
burden — a  *  bondage  to  the  elements  of  the  world  ' — but,  on  the 
contrary,  is  clung  to  with  a  desperate  tenacity.  The  elements 
which  give  this  undying  vigour  to  caste  may  possibly  be  found  not 
chiefly  in  sloth  and  inditference,  or  in  the  supposed  deliverance 
which  it  affords  from  the  irksome  sense  of  personal  responsibility, 
but  in  its  recognition  of  two  great  principles  in  social  life,  which, 
though  in  this  case  perverted,  are  adjusted  by  the  Christian  creed 
and  a  true  Christian  Church  ;  the  first,  that  our  place  in  the  world 
is  assigned  to  us  by  Divine  sovereignty  ;  and  the  second,  that  the 
co-oporution  and  sympathy  of  a  brotherhood  are  essential  to  our 
usefulness  and  happiness  in  the  world.  AYhatever  be  the  secret  of 
its  strength,  it  is  profoundly  interesting  to  gaze  on  this  gigantic 
system  existing  like  the  Great  Pyramid — each  stone  in  its  place, 
firmly  cemented  into  the  vast  whole,  towering  over  the  arid  plain, 
defying  hitherto  the  attacks  of  time,  which  destroys  all  that  is 
perishable — an  object  of  wonder  because  of  its  magnitude  and 
power  of  endurance,  yet  hollow-hearted  withal,  and  preserving 
only  the  dust  of  ages, 

"And  yet  oven  this  tremendous  system  of  caste  is  not  wholly 
antagonistic  to  the  efforts  of  the  Christian  Church.  Its  very 
strength  may  at  last  prove  its  weakness.  If  on  the  side  of  wrong 
it  '  moveth  all  together  if  it  move  at  all,'  it  may  do  so  also  on  the 
aide  of  right.     Let  the  wall  be  so  far  sapped  that  it  must  fall,  it 


APPENDIX.  4.19 

will  do  so,  not  by  crumbling  down  in  minute  fragments,  or  even  in 
separate  masses,  but  as  a  whole.  If  the  great  army  mutinies 
against  Brahmanism,  it  will  desert,  not  in  units,  but  en  masse. 

"  It  is  with  this  system  that  we  have  in  the  mean  time  to  deal ; 
and  it  may  well  nerve  a  Christian's  courage,  and  make  him  examine 
bis  weapons,  test  his  armour,  and  carefully  calculate  his  resources 
of  power  and  patience,  of  faith  and  love,  ere  he  enters,  with  a  zeal 
which  can  be  vindicated  and  a  hope  that  will  not  be  put  to  shame, 
on  the  grand  enterprise  of  substituting  pure  Christianity  in  its 
place.  I  hesitate  not  to  express  the  opinion  that  no  such  battle 
has  ever  before  been  given  to  the  Church  of  God  to  fight  since 
history  began,  and  that  no  victory,  if  gained,  will  be  followed  by 
greater  consequences.  It  seems  to  me  as  if  the  spiritual  conquest 
of  India  was  a  work  reserved  for  these  latter  days  to  accomplish, 
because  requii-ing  all  the  previous  dear-bought  experiences  of  the 
Church,  and  all  the  preliminary  education  of  the  world,  and  that, 
when  accomplished — as  by  the  help  of  the  living  Christ  it  shall  ! — 
it  will  be  a  very  Armageddon  ;  the  last  great  battle  against  every 
form  of  unbelief,  the  last  fortress  of  the  enemy  stormed,  the  last 
victory  gained  as  necessary  to  secure  the  unimpeded  progress  and 
the  final  triumph  of  the  world's  regeneration  ! 

"  In  these  statements  regarding  Brahmanism  I  have  said  nothing 
of  its  effects  upon  the  morals  of  the  people,  although  this  is  a  most 
important  aspect  of  it,  not  only  as  producing  habits  congenial  to 
human  depravity,  but  as  raising  the  most  formidable  obstacles 
against  the  reception  of  Christianity  even  as  a  pure  and  uncom- 
promising system  of  morals.  Not  that  we  would  charge  the  actual 
vices  of  a  people  to  their  religion,  unless,  as  in  the  case  before  us, 
these  could  be  proved  to  be  the  necessary  and  legitimate  con- 
sequences of  faith  in  its  teaching,  and  of  obedience  to  its  enjoined 
observances  and  practices.  As  far,  indeed,  as  the  observation  of 
the  ordinary  traveller  goes,  I  am  bound  to  say,  as  the  result  of  our 
own  very  limited  experience,  that  nothing  meets  the  eye  or  ear  in 
any  way  offensive  to  good  manners  throughout  India,  not  even  in 
its  temples,  unless  it  be  in  symbols  for  worship  to  which  I  cannot 
allude,  and  the  influence  of  which  on  the  worshippers  it  is  difficult 
for  any  stranger  to  determine,  not  knowing  even  how  far  their 
significance  is  understood  by  the  multitude.  I  must  therefore  refer 
to  others  better  acquainted  with  India  to  say  what  its  moral 
condition  is  as  flowing  positively  from  its  religion.  But  I  have  no 
doubt  whatever  myself,  from  all  I  have  heard,  that,  except  where 
ail'ccted  by  European  influence,  it  is,  among  both  Hindoos  and 
Mohammedans,  as  a  rule,  far  below  what  is  generally  supposed. 

E  E  2 


420  APPENDIX. 

Ill  spite  of  that  amount  of  morality,  and  the  play  of  those  affections 
among  Iriends  and  the  members  of  the  family,  without  which 
society  could  not  hang  together  ;  and  while  I  refuse  to  believe  that 
there  are  not,  among  such  a  mass  of  human  beings,  some  true 
light  and  life  received  from  Him  who  is  the  Father  of  light,  in  ways 
we  wot  not  of  and  may  never  discover ;  yet  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  description  of  heathendom  as  existing  in  the  latter  period 
of  Roman  life,  and  as  described  by  St.  Paul  in  the  beginning  of  his 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  is  true  to  a  fearful  extent  of  India.  Facts, 
besides,  have  come  out  in  trials  showing  how  '  religion,'  so  called, 
may  become  the  source  of  the  most  hideous  abominations,  for 
which  it  is  righteously  chargeable.  Immortal  man  is  seldom  so 
degraded  as  not  to  seek  some  apparently  good  reason,  and  in  the 
holy  name  of  "  religion  "  too,  for  doing  the  worst  things.  Thus  the 
Thug  strangles  his  victim  as  he  prays  to  the  goddess  of  murder ; 
and  the  member  of  a  hereditary  band  of  robbers  consecrates  his 
services  to  the  goddess  of  rapine. 

"  But  enough  has  been  said  to  give  some  idea  of  Brahmanism,  and 
we  are  thus  better  prepared  to  entertain  the  question  as  to  the 
means  by  which  it  can  be  destroyed,  and  Christianity,  with  its 
truth,  holiness,  brotherhood,  and  peace,  take  its  place. 

"  As  to  the  question  of  means,  I  assume  that,  as  a  Church  of 
Christ,  we  are  at  liberty  to  adopt  any  means  whatever,  in  consist- 
ency with  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel  and  the  holy  ends  we  have  in 
view,  which,  according  to  our  knowledge  as  derived  from  the 
Word  of  God,  interpreted  by  sound  judgment  and  experience,  we 
believe  best  calculated  to  accomplish  those  ends.  The  example  of 
the  Apostles  as  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  that  missionary 
history  of  the  early  Church,  and  in  the  letters  of  the  great  mis- 
sionary St.  Paul,  however  precious  to  us  and  invaluable  as  a 
repository  of  facts  and  principles,  can  never  bind  us  to  adopt  the 
very  same  methods  in  our  day  in  India,  if  it  were  even  possible  for 
us  to  do  so,  as  were  adopted  by  the  Apostles  in  the  Asia  Minor  or 
Europe  of  their  day,  unless  it  can  be  shown  that  the  fields  in  both 
cases  are  so  far  similar  as  to  admit  of  a  similar  mode  of  cultivation 
in  order  to  secure  that  crop  which  the  Christian  missionaries  of 
every  age  desire  and  labour  to  obtain.  St.  Paul  had  nothing  like 
the  heathenism  of  India,  in  its  social  aspects  or  vast  extent,  to  deal 
with.  But  we  shall  be  fellow-labourers  with  him  if  we  understand 
his  '  ways,'  '  manner  of  life,'  and  possess  his  spirit.  Let  us  only, 
as  far  as  possible,  endeavour  to  share  what,  without  irreverence 
for  his  inspired  authority,  I  may  venture  to  call  his  grand  compre- 
hensive common-sense — his  clear  eye  in  discerning  the  real  plan  of 


APPENDIX.  421 

battle,  and  all  that  was  essential  to  success — his  firm  and  unfal- 
tering march  to  the  centre  of  the  enemy's  position,  in  the  best  way 
practicable  in  the  given  place  and  time — his  determination  to 
become  all  things  to  all  men,  limited  only,  yet  expanded  also,  by 
the  holy  and  unselfish  aim  of  '  gaining  some,'  not  to  himself,  but 
to  Christ ;  and,  in  doing  so,  we  shall  not  miss  the  best  methods  of 
Christianising  India.     Right  men  will  make  the  right  methods. 

"In  reviewing  the  various  mission  agencies  at  work  in  India,  we 
may  at  once  lay  aside  the  consideration  of  minor  methods — such, 
for  example,  as  that  of  orphanages,  male  and  female  :  for,  whatever 
blessings  may  be  bestowed  by  them  as  charitable  institutions, 
or  whatever  advantages — and  there  are  many  such — may  be 
derived  from  them  as  furnishing  Christian  teachers  for  male,  and, 
above  all,  for  female  schools  ;  and  colporteurs  or  catechists,  to  aid 
missionaries ;  or  as  providing  wives  for  Christian  converts,  who 
could  neither  seek  nor  obtain  any  alliances  from  among  the 
*  castes  ;'— nevertheless,  these  institutions,  however  multiplied 
and  however  successful,  cannot,  in  my  opinion,  tell  on  the  ultimate 
conversion  of  the  bulk  of  the  Hindoos  proper,  more  than  so  many 
orphans  taken  from  Europe  would  do  if  trained  and  taught  in  the 
same  way.  I  am  not  to  be  understood  as  objecting  to  orphanages, 
more  especially  when  they  are,  as  with  us,  generously  supported 
by  the  contributions  of  the  young  at  home,  and  not  paid  for  out 
of  the  general  funds  of  the  Mission.  Yet  I  would  not  have  you 
attach  undue  importance  to  the  baptism  of  orphans  as  telling 
upon  Hindooism,  or  to  weigh  their  number — as,  alas !  I  have 
heard  done  in  Scot' an  i — against  those  connected  with  our  great 
educational  institutit  ns,  to  the  disparagement  of  the  latter  as 
compared  with  the  former.  It  seems  to  me  that  it  would  be  just 
as  wise  as  if,  in  seeking  to  convert  the  Jews,  we  imagined  that  the 
baptism  of  any  number  of  orphan  Jews  within  a  charitable  house 
of  refuge  would  tell  as  much  on  Judaism  as  the  education  of  a 
thousand  intelligent  young  Rabbis  in  a  Christian  college,  if  such  a 
blessing  were  possible,  in  the  intensely  bigoted  towns  of  Saphet  or 
Tiberias. 

"  Nor  need  I  discuss  here  what  has  been  or  what  maybe  accom- 
plished by  the  dissemination  of  the  Bible  and  an  efi'ective  Christian 
literature,  and  other  similar  details  of  mission  work,  the  excellence 
of  which  is  obvious  and  admitted,  but  I  will  confine  myself  to  what 
have  been  called  the  preaching  and  the  teaching  systems,  protest- 
ing, however,  against  this  erroneous  classification,  and  accepting  it 
only  as  the  best  at  hand. 

"  When  we  speak  oi preaching  the  Gospel  to  the  natives  of  India, 


42  2  APPENDIX. 

I  exclude  those  if^ho  have  received  an  English  education,  for  as 
regards  proaching  to  them  there  can  be  no  doubt  or  question.  Not 
by  i>reachiu(j  do  I  mean  the  giving  of  addresses  in  churches  to 
native  congregations,  but  addressing  all  who  will  hear,  whether  in 
the  streets,  bazaars,  or  anywhere  else.  And  unquestionably  there 
are  difliculties  in  the  way  of  thus  preaching  wLich  are  not,  I  think, 
sufficiently  weighed  by  friends  of  missions  at  home.  We  must,  for 
example,  dispel  the  idea  that  an  evangelist,  when  addressing  per- 
sons in  the  streets  of  a  city  in  heathen  India,  is  engaging  in  a 
work — except  in  its  mere  outward  aspects — like  that  of  an  '  evan- 
gelist' preaching  in  the  streets  or  fields  at  home  to  those  ignorant 
of  the  Gospel — although,  in  passing,  I  may  express  my  conviction 
that  even  at  home  such  efforts  are  more  unavailing  than  is  sup- 
posed, where  there  has  been  no  previous  instruction  of  some  kind. 
Outdoor  preaching  in  India,  as  it  often  is  at  home,  is  almost  uni- 
versally addressed  to  passing  and  ever-changing  crowds,  not  one  of 
whom  possibly  ever  heard  such  an  address  before,  or  will  hear  even 
this  one  calmly  to  the  end,  or  ever  hear  another.  In  no  case,  more- 
over, will  the  educated  and  influential  classes  listen  to  such 
preaching.  Consider,  also,  the  almost  utter  impossibility  of  giving, 
in  the  most  favourable  circumstances,  by  those  means,  anything 
like  a  true  idea  of  the  simplest  facts  of  the  Christian  religion  ; 
while  to  treat  of  its  evidences  is,  of  course,  out  of  the  question. 
Should  the  evangelist  adopt  another  method  by  directly  appealing 
to  the  moral  instincts  of  his  hearers,  to  the  wants  of  their  immortal 
nature,  to  their  conscience,  their  sense  of  responsibility,  or  to  their 
eternal  hopes  and  fears,  seeking  thus  to  rouse  the  will  to  action, 
where,  we  ask,  are  all  those  subjective  conditions,  necessary  for 
the  reception  of  the  truth,  to  be  found  in  hearers  saturated  through 
their  whole  being  since  childhood  with  all  that  must  weaken,  per- 
vert, deaden,  and  almost  annihilate  what  we  assume  must  exist  in 
them  BO  as  to  respond  at  once  to  truth  so  revealed  ? 

*'  These  difficulties  are  immensely  increased  when  we  learn,  more- 
over, that  there  is  not  a  single  term  which  can  be  used  in  preaching 
the  Gospel,  by  the  evangelist  who  is  most  master  of  the  language 
and  can  select  the  choicest  words  and  nicest  expressions,  but  has 
fixed  and  definite  though  false  ideas  attached  to  it  in  the  familiar 
theological  vocabulary  of  his  audience :  nor  can  it  be  transposed 
by  his  hearer,  without  long  and  patient  ellbrts,  into  the  totally 
opposite  and  Christian  ideas  attached  to  the  same  term.  We  speak 
of  one  God  ;  so  will  he  :  but  what  ideas  have  we  in  common  of 
His  character  and  attributes,  or  even  of  His  personality  and  unity? 
We  use  the  words  sm,  salvntioit,  reyeneratiuii,   holimss,   aloiteiiteiU, 


APPENDIX.  423 

ivcnrua'ion,  and  so  will  he  ;  but  each  term  represents  to  him  an 
old  and  familiar  falsehood  which  he  understands,  believes,  and 
clings  to,  and  which  nils  up  his  whole  eye,  blinding  it  to  the  per- 
ception of  Gospel  truths  altogether  different  although  expressed  by 
the  same  terms.  The  uneducated  thus  not  unfrequently  confuse 
even  the  name  of  our  Saviour,  Yisliu  Khrishta,  with  Ishi  Khista,  a 
companion  of  their  god  Khristna  !  If  you  fairly  consider  such 
difficulties  as  these,  even  you  will  also  cease  to  wonder  at  the 
almost  barren  results  from  preaching  alone  to  the  genuine  Hindoo 
as  distinct  from  low  caste  or  no  caste — and  that  the  most  earnest 
men  have  failed  to  make  any  decided  impression  on  the  mass,  any 
more  than  the  rain  or  light  of  heaven  do  on  the  solid  works  of  a 
fortress.  One  of  the  noblest  and  most  devoted  of  men,  Mr.  Bowen, 
of  Bombay,  whom  I  heard  thus  preach,  and  who  has  done  so  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century,  informed  me,  in  his  own  humble,  truthful 
way — and  his  case  is  not  singular,  except  for  its  patience  and 
earnestness — that,  as  far  as  he  knew,  he  had  never  made  one 
single  convert. 

"  But  while,  in  trying  to  estimate  the  most  likely  means  of  com- 
municating a  knowledge  of  Christianity  to  the  Hindoos,  I  would 
have  you  fairly  consider  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  preaching 
only,  I  would  not  have  you  suppose  that  I  condemn  it  as  useless, 
even  although  it  has  made  few  converts  among  thinking  Hindoos 
apart  from  the  co-operative  power  of  education.  I  recognise  it 
rather  as  among  those  influences  which  in  very  many  ways  pre- 
pare for  the  brighter  day  of  harvest,  by  prompting  inquiry, 
removing  prejudices,  accustoming  people  to  the  very  terms  of  the 
Gospel,  causing  new  ideas  of  truth  to  enter  their  minds  in  some 
form,  however  crude  and  defective,  and  by  giving  impressions  of 
the  moral  worth  and  intellectual  power  of  earnest  and  able  mis- 
sionaries who  have  come  from  afar,  and  who  seek  with  so  much 
unselfishness,  patience,  and  love  to  do  good  to  their  fellow-men. 
By  all  these  means  we  must  also  ever  strive  and  hope  to  gain 
immediate  results,  as  some  preachers  have  done,  in  the  conversion 
of  sinners  towards  God.  Let  us  rejoice  in  believing  that  in  pro- 
portion as  education  of  every  kind  advances,  it  prepares  a  wider 
field  for  the  preachei*,  if  the  seed  he  sows  as  '  the  Word '  is  to  be 
'  understood '  so  as  to  be  received  '  into  the  heart.' 

"It  must,  I  think,  be  admitted  that,  up  to  the  period  at  which 
Christian  education  was  introduced  as  an  essential  element  of  mis- 
sionary labour  among  the  Hindoos,  every  attempt  to  make  any 
breach  in  the  old  fortress  had  failed.  A  remarkable  illustration  of 
this  fact  is  frankly  given  by  the  Abbe  Dubois.     He  was  an  able. 


42 1  APPENDIX. 

accomplished,  earnest,  and  honest  Eoman  Catholic  missionary, 
who  had  laboured  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  living  among  the 
people,  and  endeavouring  to  convert  them.  He  published  his 
vohime  in  1822,  and  in  it  gives  the  results  of  his  experience, 
summed  up  in  a  single  sentence — *  It  is  my  decided  opinion  that, 
under  existing  circumstances,  there  is  no  human  possibility  of  con- 
verting the  Hindoos  to  any  sect  of  Christianity.'  He  illustrates 
and  conlirms  this  conclusion  by  the  peculiarities  of  the  Hindoo 
religion,  and  by  the  history  of  all  missionary  efforts  down  to  his 
own  day,  including  those  of  Xavier  and  the  Jesuits.  He  also  gives 
it  as  his  opinion  that,  '  as  long  as  we  are  unable  to  make  an 
impression  on  the  polished  part  of  the  nation  or  the  heads  of  public 
opinion — on  the  body  of  the  Brahmins,  in  short — there  remain  but 
very  faint  hopes  of  propagating  Christianity  among  the  Hindoos  ; 
and  as  long  as  the  only  result  of  our  labours  shall  be,  as  is  at 
present  the  case,  to  bring  into  our  respective  communions  here 
and  there  a  few  desperate  vagrants,  outcasts,  pariahs,  house- 
keepers, beggars,  and  other  persons  of  the  lowest  description,  such 
results  cannot  faU  to  be  detrimental  to  the  interests  of  Christianity 
among  a  people  who  in  all  circumstances  are  ruled  by  the  force  of 
custom  and  example,  and  are  in  no  case  allowed  to  judge  for 
themselves.'  It  is  no  answer  to  this  picture  that  it  describes  the 
failure  of  Romanism  only  ;  for  it  holds  equally  true  of  every  other 
effort  made  in  the  same  direction  and  amon'^  the  same  people. 
The  Abbe  had  no  hope  whatever  of  the  difficulty  ever  being  mas- 
tered ;  but  thought  the  people,  for  their  lies  and  abominations, 
were  '  lying  under  an  everlasting  anathema.' 

*'  It  was  shortly  after  this  time  that  Christian  education,  although 
it  had  to  some  extent  been  adopted  previously  in  Western  India 
by  the  Americans,  was  systematically  and  vigorously  begun  in 
Bengal  by  the  Church  of  Scotland  as  the  best  means  of  making  an 
impression  upon  all  castes,  the  highest  as  well  as  the  lowest. 
This  educational  system,  associated  as  it  has  become  with  the 
name  of  Scotland,  is  one  of  which  our  Church  and  country  have 
reason  to  be  proud,  and  will  over  be  connected  with  the  names  of 
Dr.  Inglis  as  having  planned  it,  and  Dr.  Duff  as  having  first  carried 
it  out.  It  is  surely  a  presumption  in  its  favour  that  eveiy  mission 
from  Great  Britain  which  has  to  do  with  the  same  class  of  people, 
has  now  adopted,  without  one  exception,  the  same  method  as  an 
essential  part  of  its  operations. 

"  Let  me  now  endeavour  to  explain  to  the  members  of  the  Church 
what  we  mean  by  the  education  system,  as  it  is  called,  with 
some  of  the  results  at  which  it  aims. 


APPENDIX.  425 

"  First  of  all,  a  secular  education,  so  termed,  though  in  this  case 
inaccurately,  is  given  in  our  missionary  institutions  equal  to  that 
given  by  any  seminary  in  India.  The  importance  and  value  of 
this  fact  arises  from  another — that  education,  especially  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  English  language  and  its  literature,  is  the  high- 
road to  what  is  all  in  all  in  the  estimation  of  a  Hindoo — Prefer- 
ment. The  opening  up  of  lucrative  situations,  and  of  important 
civil  offices  in  the  gift  of  Government,  and  the  passing  a  Univer- 
sity examination  by  every  applicant  ibr  them,  are  thus  linked  to- 
gether. The  privilege,  moreover,  of  being  presented  as  a  candi- 
date for  these  examinations  is  confined  to  those  schools  or  insti- 
tutions, missionary  or  others,  which  are  '  affiliated '  to  the 
University  or  Board  of  Examiners  in  each  Presidency  town,  which 
can  be  done  only  when  they  have  proved  their  fitness  to  give  the 
required  education,  and  are  willing  to  submit  to  Government 
inspection  as  far  as  their  mere  secular  teaching  is  concerned.  It 
is  for  this  kind  of  education,  and  for  these  ends  alone,  that  the 
Hindoo  youth  enters  a  mission  school.  I  need  hardly  say  that 
he  has  no  desire  to  obtain  by  so  doing  any  knowledge  of  Chris- 
tianity ;  his  willingness  to  encounter  which,  arising  not  from 
courage — of  which  he  has  little  or  none — but  from  self-confidence 
in  his  ability  to  despise,  if  not  its  arguments,  at  least  its  influence. 
When  a  mission  school  is  preferred  to  a  Government  one,  it  is 
probably  owing  to  the  fact  that  lower  fees  are  charged  in  the 
former ;  and,  as  I  am  also  disposed  to  think,  from  the  life  and  power 
and  superior  teaching  necessarily  imparted  by  educated  mis- 
sionaries when  they  throw  their  whole  soul  into  their  work,  in- 
spired by  the  high  and  unselfish  aims  which  they  have  in  view. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  right  missionaries  can,  by  means  of  the  school, 
secure  a  large  and  steady  assemblage,  day  by  day,  of  from  500  to 
1,000  pupils,  representing  the  very  life  of  Hindoo  society,  eager  to 
obtain  education. 

"  While  to  impart  this  education  is  itself  a  boon,  and  an  indirect 
means  of  doing  much  real  good,  yet  by  itself  it  is  obviously  not 
that  kind  of  good  which  it  is  the  distinct  function  of  the  Christian 
missionary  to  confer.  His  work  is  to  teach  men  a  saving  know- 
ledge of  Jesus  Christ,  and  so  to  reconcile  them  to  their  God. 
Hence  instruction  in  the  Bible  as  the  record  of  God's  will  revealed 
to  man  specially  through  Jesus  Christ,  is  an  essential  part  of  his 
work,  and  distinguishes  his  school  from  every  other.  The  accept- 
ance on  the  part  of  the  pupil  of  this  direct  Christian  instruction, 
accom])anied  by  all  that  can  be  done  by  the  missionary  to  make 
it  find   an   entrance  into  the  pupil's  heart,  and  to  keep  possession 


426  APPENDIX. 

of  it,  is  a  dne  qua  non  of  his  being  received  into  the  school,  and 
is  taken  by  him  with  his  eyes  open. 

"  Mere  teacliiwj,  howevei',  whether  secular  or  Christian,  does  not 
adequately  express  what  is  included  in  the  idea  of  education  as 
aimed  at  by  the  intelligent  and  efficient  missionary.  His  object  is, 
by  these  and  all  other  means  in  his  power — by  argument  and 
appeal — by  that  whole  pei'sonal  influence  emanating  from  head 
and  heart,  from  lip  and  eye — to  educate  the  Hindoo  mind  out  of 
all  that  is  weak,  perverted,  false,  and  vain,  into  truth  and  reality 
as  embodied  in  Christian  faith  and  life.  To  do  this  involves,  as  I 
have  tried  to  explain,  a  work  requiring  time  and  patience,  the 
nicest  handling,  and  the  greatest  force.  To  quicken  a  conscience 
almost  dead ;  to  waken  any  sense  of  personal  responsibility  almost 
^iniiihilated  ;  to  give  any  strength  to  a  will  weak  and  powerless 
for  all  manly  ell'ort  and  action  ;  to  open  the  long-closed  and  unused 
spiritual  eye,  and  train  it  to  discern  the  unseen,  '  Him  who  is 
invisible  ; '  to  inspire  with  a  love  of  truth,  or  with  a  perception, 
however  faint,  of  the  unworthiness  and  vileness  of  falsehood,  a 
soul  which  has  never  felt  the  sense  of  shame  in  lying,  and  seems 
almost  to  have  lost  the  power  of  knowing  what  it  means ; — this  is 
the  education  which  the  missionary  gives  as  preparatory  to  and 
accompanying  the  reception  of  Christianity.  He  has  to  penetrate 
through  the  drifting  sands  of  centuries  in  order  to  reach  what  he 
believes  lies  deeper  down,  that  humanily  which,  however  weak,  is 
capable  of  being  elevated  as  sure  as  the  Son  of  God  has  become 
the  Son  of  Man  !  In  seeking  to  do  this  there  is  no  part  of  his 
work,  the  most  common  or  the  most  secular,  which  cannot  be 
turned  by  the  skilful  workman  to  account.  '  Every  wise-hearted 
man  in  whom  the  Lord  puts  wisdom  and  understanding '  will  thus 
*  know  how  to  work  all  manner  of  work  for  the  service  of  the 
sanctuary.'  While  everything  is  thus  made  subservient  to  the 
highest  end,  most  unquestionably  the  Gospel  itself,  by  the  very 
ideas  which  it  gives,  through  doctrine  and  precept,  history  and 
biography — above  all,  through  the  life,  death,  and  resurrection  of 
Jesus  Christ — regarding  the  character  of  God  and  man,  is,  by  its 
own  divine  light,  the  most  powerful  means  of  opening  and  edu- 
cating thfe  eye  which  is  itself  to  see  and  appreciate  this  light. 
The  Gospel,  therefore,  must  ever  accompany,  as  master  and  guide, 
every  other  kind  of  instrumentality  employed  in  an  educational 
Christian  mission. 

"Another  object  originally  contemplated  by  these  institutions  was 
to  raise  vp  a  native  vniiistry  from  among  the  converts,  who  should 
be    able   to    carry    on    the  work   of  evangelisation   among   their 


APPENDIX.  \ii 

brethren  as  no  foreigners  or  temporary  residents  in  the  country 
could  possibly  do,  and  thus  ultimately  to  obtain  from  among  the 
people  themselves  that  supply  of  missionaries  which  should  per- 
manently meet  the  wants  of  the  country.  The  advantages  of  such 
a  class  are  so  obvious  that  I  need  do  little  more  than  allude  to 
the  subject.  When  India  is  Christianised  it  must  be  by  her  own 
people.  We  are  strangers  and  foi-eignei's,  and,  as  far  as  we  can 
discover,  must  ever  be  so,  Nature  decrees,  '  Hitherto  sLalt  thou 
come,  but  no  further.'  Immigration  and  permanent  settlement 
are  for  us  impossible.  Our  work  towards  India  must  therefore  be 
from  without,  and  in  order  to  quicken  and  develop  from  within 
her  own  individuality  in  a  Christian  form.  At  present  we  are 
singularly  and  almost  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  inner  life  of  the 
people  of  India,  almost  as  much  as  if  we  had  visited  a  different 
race  in  a  different  planet.  We  come  into  outward  contact  with 
them,  but  oceans  of  thought,  feeling,  association,  habits,  and 
beliefs  separate  us  mentally,  socially,  and  spiritually,  until  we  can 
meet  in  the  fellowship  of  a  common  Christianity  as  well  as  of  a  com- 
mon citizenship.  It  is  thus  evident  that  we  must  ultimately  rely 
upon  native  evangelists  and  pastors  to  educate  the  masess  of  the 
natives  in  the  Christian  religion,  and  to  form  them  into  a  Christian 
Church.  Every  method,  therefore,  which  can  be  devised  for  the 
raising  up  and  thoroughly  educating  such  men,  suited  to  meet  tbe 
various  ranks  and  castes  of  Hindoo  and  Mohammedan  society,  the 
most  learned  as  well  as  the  most  ignorant,  should  engage  the  most 
earnest  attention  of  the  Christian  Church.  At  present  we  are  but 
feeling  our  way  towards  this  all-important  end. 

"  You  will  now  very  naturally  inquire  how  far  our  school  system 
has  succeeded,  after  having  had  a  fair  trial,  in  adding  converts 
and  native  evangelists  to  the  Christian  Church.  The  results  of 
Dr.  Duff's  missionary  schools  may  be  taken  as  the  most  favourable 
example.  He  had  the  honour  not  only  of  beginning  the  system 
in  Calcutta,  but  of  carrying  it  on  for  the  long  period  of  thirty-five 
years  ;  for  although  he  left  the  Church  of  Scotland  and  joined 
th-e  Free  Church  in  1843,  yet  he  continued  his  mission  in  other 
buildings  with  unabated  vigour  and  unwearied  zeal.  He  ,was 
assisted,  moreover,  by  a  staff  of  missionaries  who,  in  learning  and 
ability,  were  worthy  of  their  distinguished  leader ;  so  that  the 
system,  it  must  be  confessed,  has  had  the  fairest  possible  trial, 
without  interruption  or  weakness.  Its  agency,  too,  has  always 
been  strong  and  effective.  The  number  of  its  principal  and 
branch  stations  in  Bengal  is  12,  with  51  Christian  agents,  in- 
cluding  4  ordained    European    missionaries ;   an   average  attend- 


+2  8  APPENDIX. 

ance  of  upwards  of  3,000  scholars,  male  and  female.  Two 
ordnined  native  evangelists  are  employed,  and  5  agents  are 
engaged  in  vernacular  preaching  in  the  Mofussil,  or  in  '  the 
countr}'.'  Now,  the  number  of  converts  since  the  beginning  of 
the  mission  until  the  present  year  has  been  206.  Not  one, 
as  lar  as  I  can  discover,  is  reported  for  last  year.  As  to 
ordained  missionaries,  three  only  have  been  contributed  by  the 
institution  since  its  commencement.  The  same  general  results 
have  been  obtained  from  the  institution  at  Madras  and  Bombay, 
hitherto  conducted  by  as  able,  accomplished,  and  devoted  mis- 
sionaries as  have  laboured  in  India.  The  names  of  the  late  John 
Anderson,  of  Madras,  and  of  the  venerable  and  learned  Dr.  "Wilson, 
of  Bombay,  whom  God  has  spared  to  labour,  will  ever  be  asso- 
ciated with  the  history  of  missions  in  India, 

"  Looking  only  to  such  results  as  can  be  expressed  by  mere 
statistics,  those  I  have  given  may  possibly  be  recognised  as 
proofs  of  failure  by  one  ignorant  of  India,  or  comparing  them 
with  those  gathered  from  other  tields  of  missionary  labour.  I 
might,  however,  easily  show  the  value  of  those  results,  and  defend 
them  from  the  charge  of  insignificance,  by  showing  the  quality  and 
influence  of  the  converts  who  form  the  native  churches  connected 
with  that  mission  and  with  other  mission  schools  in  Intlia,  and 
thus  prove  the  greatness  of  the  victory  by  the  difficulty  of  the 
battle,  and  the  strength  and  importance  of  the  position  which  it  has 
thus  secured  with  reference  to  the  final  conquest  of  the  land  ;  or 
I  might  even  compare  the  number  of  those  converts  with  the 
number  of  missionaries  employed,  as  proving  a  success  equal  to 
that  of  any  other  mission  in  similar  circumstances.  But  putting 
aside  these  and  many  other  elements  of  a  success  which,  in  my 
opinion,  is  unquestionable  and  remarkable,  even  as  tested  by 
statistics,  I  could  most  conscientiously  defend  it  on  a  lower  but 
sufficiently  solid  and  hopeful  ground.  Were  its  work  confined  to 
the  walls  of  the  institution,  and  had  it  as  yet  never  made  a  single 
convert,  would  it,  I  ask,  in  this  case,  however  painful  and  dis- 
appointing it  might  be  to  the  ardent  and  hopeful  missionary  or  to 
the  Churcli,  be  unworthy  of  our  continued  confidence  and  un- 
faltering support  ?  I  can  anticipate  but  one  reply  by  those  who 
have  at  all  comprehended  the  actual  condition  of  Hindoo  society, 
even  as  I  have  tried  to  describe  it,  and  the  nature  and  difficulty  of 
the  work  to  be  done  before  its  heathenism  can  be  given  up,  and  a 
genuine  living  Christianity  substituted  in  its  place.  For  realise  if 
you  can  what  the  effect  must  be,  as  preparing  the  way  for  Christ- 
ianity, of  thousands  of  youth  nearly  every  year  sent  forth  into 
society  to  occupy  positions    of  trust  and    influence  from  all  the 


APPENDIX.  429 

mission  schools  in  India  ;  not  a  few  of  their  pnpils  truly  con- 
verted to  God,  and  all  well  instructed  in  Christianity,  in  its  evi- 
dences, facts,  and  moral  teaching  ;  the  minds  of  all  considerably 
enlightened,  their  knowledge  and  means  of  knowledge  vastly 
increased,  and  their  whole  moral  tone  and  feelings  changed  and 
elevated  !  I  am  compelled  to  reiterate  the  idea  that  the  work  thus 
done  by  the  mission  school  is  not  the  taking  down  a  brick  here  or 
there  from  the  beleaguered  wall,  but  that  of  sapping  it  from  below, 
until,  like  the  walls  of  Jericho,  and  by  the  same  Almighty  power, 
though  differently  applied,  it  falls  in  one  great  ruin  to  the  ground  ; 
while  at  the  same  time  it  is  preparing  the  ground,  digging  tho 
foundations,  and  gathering  materials  for  building  up  a  new  living 
temple  to  the  Lord. 

"  In  regard  to  the  raising  up  of  a  native  ministry,  that  too  may 
be  pronounced  a  failure,  if  those  who  have  been  ordained  are 
counted  merely  and  not  weighed.  But  that  the  different  mission 
schools  in  India  have  raised  from  among  their  converts  a  most 
intelligent,  educated,  and  respected  body  of  native  clergy,  cannot 
be  denied.  I  remember  a  high  caste  native  gentleman  of  wealth 
and  education  speaking  of  one  of  those  clergy,  and  saying  to  me, 
'  that  is  a  man  whose  acquaintance  you  should,  if  possible,  make. 
He  was  of  my  caste,  and  became  a  Christian ;  but  he  is  a  learned 
and  thoroughly  sincere  man,  and  people  here  honour  him.'  This 
said  much  for  both  Hindoo  and  Christian.  Nor  do  I  think  such 
cases  so  rare  as  people  at  home  or  abroad  are  apt  to  imagine. 
It  is,  no  doubt,  greatly  to  be  desired,  that  we  had  many  more  such 
men — hundreds,  or  even  thousands,  instead  of  a  few  dozen  or  so; 
but  the  difficulties  are  at  present  great,  not  only  in  finding  the 
right  kind  of  men,  but,  when  found,  in  supporting  them  where  as 
yet  no  congregations  exist,  and  in  inducing  them  to  be  the  sub- 
ordinates of  foreign  missionaries  with  comparatively  small  salaries, 
when  so  many  better  paid  and  more  independent  positions  can  be 
found  in  other  departments  of  labour.  For  while  there  are  many 
cases  of  unselfish  and  disinterested  labour  among  native  pastors, 
yet  the  demands  of  others  for  *  pay  and  power '  make  the  question 
of  native  pastors  in  towns  embarrassing  at  times  to  the  home 
Churches.  But,  in  spite  of  those  difficulties,  good  men  have  been 
and  are  being  ordained,  and  we  can  at  present  see  no  more  likely 
source  of  obtaining  them,  for  the  cities  at  least,  than  by  our  mis 
sionary  educational  institutions.  Before  closing  this  part  of  my 
subject  and  proceeding  to  offer  a  few  practical  suggestions  as  to 
present  duties  with  reference  to  our  Missions,  permit  me  to  repeat  a 
conviction  which  I  stated  at  our  great  missionary  meeting  at  Cal- 
cutta as  to  our  keeping  steadily  before  the  mind  of  the  Churches 


430  APPENDIX. 

at  hoTTiG  and  alirnnrl  the  vast  importance  of  a  nntive  Chnroh  bein» 
organized  in  India.     By  a  native  Cljurch  I  do  not  certainly  mean 
— what,   in  present  circumstances,  we   thankfully  accept — native 
Churches  in  ecclesiastical  connection  with  the  different  European 
and    American    missions.     It    surely  cannot    be    desired    by    any 
intelligent  Christian.     I  might  use  stronger  language,  and  assert 
that  it  ought  not  to  be  tolerated  by  any  reasonable  man,  unless 
proved  to   be  unavoidable,  that  our  several  Churches  should  re- 
produce, in  order  to  perpetuate  in  the  new  world  of  a  Christian- 
ized India,  those  forms  and  symbols  which  in  the  old  world  have 
become  marks,  not  of  our  union  as  Christians,  but  of  our  disunion 
as  sects.     We  may  not,  indeed,  be  responsible  for  these  divisions 
in  the  Church  which  have  come  down  to  us  from  the  past.     We 
did  not  make  them,  nor  can  we  now,  perhaps,  unmake. them.     We 
find  ourselves  born  into  some  one  of  them,  and  so  we  accept  of  it, 
and  make  the  most  of  it  as  the  best  we   can  get  in  the  whole 
circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed.     But   must  we  establish 
these  ditlerent  organizations  in  India  ?     Is  each  part  to  be  made 
to  represent  the  whole  ?     Is  the  grand  army  to  remain  broken  up 
into  separate  divisions,  each  to  recruit  to  its  own  standard,  and  to 
invite   the  Hindoos  to  wear  our  respective   uniforms,   adopt    our 
respective  Shibboleths,  learn  and  repeat  our  respective  war  cries, 
and  even  make  caste  marks  of  our  wounds  and  scars,  which  to  us 
are  but  the  sad  mementoes  of  old  battles  ?     Or,  to  drop  all  meta- 
phors,  shall  Christian    converts  in  India   be  necessarily  grouped 
and  stereotyped  into  Episcopal  Churches,  Presbyterian  Churches, 
Lutheran    Churches,    Methodist    Churches,  Baptist    Churches,   or 
Independent  Churches,  and  adopt  as  their  respective  creeds  the 
Confession    of    Faith,    the    Thirty-nine   Articles,    or    some    other 
formula  approved  of  by  our  forefathers,  and  the  separating  sign 
of  some  British  or  American  sect  ?     Whether  any  Church  seriously 
entertains  this  design  I  know  not,  though  I  suspect  it  of  some, 
and  I  feel  assured  that  it  will  be  realised  in  part,  as  conversions 
increase  by  means  of  foreign  missions,  and  be  at  last  perpetuated, 
unless  it  is  now  carefully  guarded  against    by  every  opportunity 
being  watched   and   taken   advantage  of  to  propagate  a  dilfurout 
idea,  and  to  rear  up  an  independent  and  all-inclusive  native  Indian 
Cliurch.     By  such  a  Church  I  mean  one  which  shall  be   organised 
and  governed  by  the  natives  themselves,  as  far  as  possible,  inde- 
l>endent]y  of  us.     AVe  could  of  course  claim,  as  Christians  and 
fe'low  subjects,  to  be  recognised  as  brethren,  and  to  be  received 
among  its  members,  or,  if  it  should   so  please   both  parties,  serve 
among  its  ministers,  and  rejoice  always  to  be  its  best  friends  and 
generous  supporters.     In    all  this  we  would  only  have  them    to 


APPENDIX.  431 

do  -to  us  as  we  should  feel  bound  to  do  to  them.  Such  a  Church 
might,  as  taught  by  experience,  mould  its  outward  form  of  govern- 
ment and  worship  according  to  its  inner  wants  and  outward  circum- 
stances, guided  by  history  and  by  the  teaching  and  spirit  of  Christ- 
ianity. Its  creed — for  no  Christian  soL'iety  can  exist  without  some 
known  and  professed  beliefs — would  include  those  truths  which 
had  been  confessed  by  the  Catholic  Church  of  Christ  since  the 
first;  and,  as  necessary  to  its  very  existence  as  a  Church  it  would 
recognise  the  supreme  authority  of  Jesus  Christ  and  His  apostles. 
It  would  also  have,  like  the  whole  Church,  its  Lord's-day  for  public 
worship,  and  the  Sacraments  of  Baptism,  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 
Thus  might  a  new  temple  be  reared  on  the  plains  of  India  unhke 
perhaps  any  to  be  seen  in  our  western  lands,  yet  with  all  our 
goodly  stones  built  up  in  its  fabric,  and  with  all  our  spiritual 
worship  within  its  walls  of  the  one  living  and  true  God,  Father, 
Son  and  Holy  Spirit.  A  Church  like  this  would,  from  its  very 
nationality,  attract  many  a  man  who  does  not  wish  to  be  ranked 
among  the  adherents  of  Mission  Churches.  It  would  dispose, 
also,  of  many  difficulties  inseparable  from  our  position,  Avhether 
regarding  baptism  or  the  selection  and  support  of  a  native  ministry. 
And,  finally,  it  would  give  ample  scope,  for  many  a  year  to  come, 
for  all  the  aid  and  efforts  which  our  home  Churches  and  Missionaries 
could  afford  by  schools  and  colleges,  personal  labour,  and  also  by 
money  contributions,  to  establish,  strengthen,  and  extend  it. 

"  Moreover,  it  seems  to  me  that  India  affords  varied  and  remark- 
able elements  for  contributing  many  varied  gifts  and  talents  to 
such  a  Church  as  this.  The  simple  peasant  and  scholarly  pundit, 
the  speculative  mystic  or  self-torturing  devotee,  the  peaceful  South- 
man  and  the  manly  North-man  ;  the  weak  Hindoo  who  clings  to 
others  of  his  caste  for  strength,  and  the  strong  aborigines  who  love 
their  individuality  and  independence  ; — one  and  all  possess  a 
power  which  could  find  its  place  of  rest  and  blessing  in  the  faith 
of  Christ  and  in  fellowship  with  one  another  through  Him.  The 
incarnate  but  unseen  Christ,  the  Divine  yet  human  brother,  would 
dethrone  every  idol ;  God's  word  be  substituted  for  the  Puranas  ; 
Christian  brotherhood  for  caste;  and  the  peace  of  God,  instead  of 
these  and  every  weary  rite  and  empty  ceremony,  would  satisfy  the 
heart.  Such  is  my  ideal,  which  I  hope  and  believe  will  one  day 
become  real  in  India.  The  day,  indeed,  seems  to  be  far  off  when 
'  the  Church  of  India,'  worthy  of  the  country,  shall  occupy  its 
place  within  what  may  then  be  the  Christendom  of  the  world.  A 
period  of  chaos  may  intervene  ere  it  is  created  ;  and  after  that, 
how  many  days  full  of  change  and  of  strange  revolutions,  with 
their  'evenings'  and   'mornings,'  may  succeed,  ere   it  enjoys  a 


432  APPENDIX. 

Sabhath  rest  of  holiness  and  peace  !  But  yet  that  Church  must  he, 
if  India  is  ever  to  become  one,  or  a  nation  in  any  true  sense  of  the 
word.  For  union,  strength,  and  real  progress  can  never  hence- 
forth ill  this  world's  history  either  result  from  or  coalesce  with 
Mohammedanism  or  Hindooism,  far  less  with  the  cold  and  heartless 
abstractions  of  an  atheistic  philosophy.  Hence  English  goverr- 
ment,  by  physical  force  and  moral  power,  must,  with  a  firm  and 
unswerving  grasp,  hold  the  broken  fragments  of  the  Indian  races 
together,  until  they  are  united  from  within  by  Christianity  into  a 
living  organism,  which  can  then,  and  then  only,  dispense  with  the 
force  without.  The  wild  olive  must  be  grafted  into  the  '  root  and 
fatness'  of  the  good  olive-tree  of  the  Church  of  Christ;  and  while 
the  living  union  is  being  formed,  and  until  the  living  sap  begins  to 
flow  from  the  root  to  every  branch,  English  power  must  firmly  bind 
and  hold  the  parts  together.  Our  hopes  of  an  Indian  nation  are 
bound  up  with  our  hopes  of  an  Indian  Church ;  and  it  is  a  high 
privilege  for  us  to  be  able  to  help  on  this  consummation.  The  West 
thus  gives  back  to  the  East  the  riches  which  it  has  from  the  East  re- 
ceived, to  be  returned  again,  I  doubt  not,  with  interest  to  ourselves. 
"  But  when  shall  there  be  a  resurrection  in  this  great  valley  of 
death?  When  shall  these  dry  bones  live  ?  Lord,  Thou  knowest, 
with  whom  one  day  is  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years 
as  one  day  !  Let  us  have  faith  and  patience.  There  may  at 
first  be  but  a  noise  and  a  shaking,  and  then  the  bones  of  the  poor 
broken-up  and  disjointed  skeletons  of  humanity  may  come 
together,  and  after  a  while  sinews  and  flesh  may  cover  them,  and 
yet  no  breath  be  in  them !  But  these  preparatory  processes  are 
not  in  vain.  A  resurrection-day  of  life  and  power  will  dawn  iu 
the  fulness  of  time,  and  the  Lord  of  Life  will  raise  up  prophets, 
it  may  be  from  among  the  people  of  India,  who  will  meekly  and 
obediently  prophesy  as  the  Lord  commands  them  ;  and  then  the 
glorious  result  will  be  witnessed  from  heaven  and  earth  which  we 
have  all  prayed  and  laboured  and  longed  for  ;  the  Spirit  of  Life 
will  come,  and  these  dead  bodies  will  live  and  stand  on  their  feet 
an  exceeding  great  army  !  *  I  beheld,  and  lo,  a  great  multitude, 
which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and  kindreds,  and 
people,  and  tongues,  stood  before  the  throne,  and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  with  white  robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands ;  and  cried 
with  a  loud  voice,  saying.  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon 
the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb.'  'Amen:  Blessing,  and  glory, 
and  wisdom,  and  thanksgiving,  and  honour,  and  power,  and 
might,  be  unto  our  God  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen.' 


DATE  DUE 


DEMCO  38-297 


